The Sep.19 Presidential order imposing a fee of USD 100,000 per H1B visa entry stands as one more assault on an edifice that on the surface looked rock solid only a year ago. The order hits India hard even if that is not its intention, and will deliver shock, pain and a host of challenges that cannot hide behind empty bravado. The magnitude of the disruption, its potential to derail one of India’s largest employers, the vast IT services sector, and its likely impact on the wider economy give cause for worry.

A 2019 study, the latest available, by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services put the number of H1B visa holders at 583,420 (“total H1B authorised-to-work population”) as of Sep. 30, 2019. Broadly, it has been estimated that the total H1B population with family and dependents in

See Full Page