H-1B visa News: Rebate in H-1B visa fees in America, big relief for Indians

According to the new guidelines, foreign workers who are changing from another visa category like F-1 (student visa) to H-1B visa will not have to pay this heavy fee. Similarly, people who are already living in America and are applying for any amendment, change of status or extension of their H-1B visa, this fee will also not be charged. Currently, those who have a valid H-1B visa will not have any restrictions in traveling to America.

This announcement applies only to new visa applicants who are outside the US and do not have a valid H-1B visa. An online payment link is also provided for new applications. The clarification came two days after the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business organisation, sued the Trump administration over the new rules, terming them ‘unlawful’. They say that this new fee will cause great harm to American companies, because it will increase their labor costs or they will have to reduce the recruitment of skilled foreign workers.

The petition also says that Trump’s September 19 order is ‘legally wrong’ and will benefit America’s economic rivals. Earlier on October 3, a group of teachers, unions and other organizations had also filed a lawsuit against the same rule. At the same time, while signing this order, Trump had said that its purpose is to ‘give priority in jobs to American citizens’. However, this had created confusion as to whether this rule would also apply to already visa holders, who may face difficulties in returning to America.

The White House issued a clarification to IANS on September 20, saying that this is a one-time fee that applies only to new visas, not renewals or existing visa holders. It is noteworthy that in the year 2024, more than 70 percent of the total approved H-1B visas were given to Indian-origin employees, because the number of skilled professionals coming from India is the highest and the number of pending applications is also very large.