New Delhi — Indian IT industry group Nasscom said Tuesday that it is actively engaging with key stakeholders over a proposed sharp increase in H-1B visa fees in the United States.
The group said any increase in visa costs should be considered in the context of the H-1B program’s original purpose of helping U.S. employers address temporary shortages of specialized skills.
The proposed U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule would impose an additional $103,265 fee on employers filing cap-subject H-1B petitions. The proposal is open for public comment for 30 days.
The Trump administration has said the fee is intended to help recover costs associated with the immigration system while encouraging employers to hire and train American workers rather than rely on foreign labor.
Nasscom said the H-1B program has long played an important role in addressing short-term skill gaps in the United States.
“It is also important to recognise that, over the past 5 years, the number of H-1B employees of Indian technology companies operating has reduced significantly, as companies have steadily expanded local hiring,” the industry body said.
Nasscom added that the industry has spent more than $1.1 billion strengthening the U.S. STEM talent pipeline through partnerships with more than 130 universities and colleges. Those initiatives have reached 2.9 million students and helped upskill more than 255,000 employees, according to the group.
Under the proposed rule, the additional fee would apply to each cap-subject H-1B petition, including petitions filed for workers eligible under the advanced-degree exemption. Employers would pay the charge on top of other applicable filing fees.
DHS estimates the new fee could generate about $8.8 billion annually, based on an expected 85,000 cap-subject petitions each year.
The department said the revenue would help cover costs associated with immigration benefit adjudications, fraud detection, national security screening, modernization of government systems and record collection.
The annual H-1B cap includes 65,000 visas, along with an additional 20,000 visas for foreign nationals who have earned a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution. (Source: IANS)
