Trump’s fresh order will come into effect on September 21. This has caused panic among the H-1B visa holders, but the US administration has assured them that they do not need to ‘rush back’ to America.
A move that is expected to severely impact Indian professionals in the US, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to raise the H-1B visa fee to USD 100,000. Defending his action, the Republican President cited the ‘abuse’ of the H-1B visa behind his decision.
“What this proclamation will do is raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000. This will ensure that the people they’re bringing in are actually very highly skilled and that they’re not replaceable by American workers,” said White House staff secretary Will Scharf in a statement.
When will this order come into effect?
Trump’s fresh order will come into effect on September 21. This has caused panic among the H-1B visa holders, but the US administration has assured them that they do not need to ‘rush back’ to America.
“Those who are visiting or leaving the country, or visiting India, they don’t need to rush back before Sunday or pay the $100,000 fee. $100,000 is only for new and not current existing holders,” a senior Trump administration official told news agency ANI.
Are there any exemptions?
Yes, there are exemptions. As per the executive order, existing H-1B visa holders do not need to pay the USD 100,000 fee, but they would need to return to the US before September 21 if they have been out of the country for more than 12 months. Besides, if anyone is working for the ‘national interest’ of the US, then he or she can be exempted by the US Secretary of Homeland Security.
Will this order apply to those reentering the US?
If an H-1B worker or their H-4 dependent tries to enter the US after September 21, then the American officials will consider it a new application. Thus, tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft have asked their employees to return to the US before the deadline.
What did India say about Trump’s new executive order?
The move is expected to significantly impact Indian professionals. Thus, the central government is monitoring the situation, but has not expressed hopes that American officials will ‘suitably’ address the ‘disruptions’ that will be caused by the fresh order.
“This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. “The government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities.”
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