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Karnataka Home Minister G. Parmeshwara has said that the US's sharply rising H-1B visa fees are discouraging but that it can be advantageous to India, as it may lead to increased outsourcing to the country.
"This decision has probably been taken to discourage people from going and working in America. In one way, as Indians, we also look at it differently," Parmeshwara told ANI. "Earlier, the Americans made a decision not to outsource to India or any other part of the world. But now, it's going to come back to India because India has the capacity to produce that kind of technical manpower. One way, it is discouraging. The other way, we would like to make use of it to our advantage," he added. Meanwhile, earlier, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified that the USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications will only apply to the new applicants and not to the petitions submitted prior to September 21. "This proclamation only applies prospectively to petitions that have not yet been filed. The proclamation does not apply to aliens who: are the beneficiaries of petitions that were filed prior to the effective date of the proclamation, are the beneficiaries of currently approved petitions, or are in possession of validly issued H-1B non-immigrant visas," Joseph B Edlow, Director of USCIS, clarified in a memorandum on Saturday (local time). White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed the same. She also stated that the USD 100,000 fee on the H-1B visa application is a one-time fee, clarifying the misconception that it is an annual fee. "To be clear: This is NOT an annual fee. It's a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders," Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. She also informed that the fee will not be charged on H-1B visa holders who are currently outside of the country. (ANI)
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