New Delhi: A new clarification by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers a significant relief for Indian students, tech workers and others on certain visas, after confusion over a controversial fee associated with the H‑1B visa.

The fee in question emerged from a presidential proclamation (issued September 19, 2025) that introduced a roughly US $100,000 surcharge on H-1B visa applications filed on or after September 21, 2025. That sum — equivalent to about Rs 89 lakh at the time of reporting — caused widespread concern among companies and visa applicants, especially from India. ADVERTISEMENT

What the clarification says

USCIS clarified that the surcharge does not apply in some major cases, including “change of status” filings. Specifically:

The proclamat

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