The clarification comes hours after Trump’s order caused chaos at many airports in the US. Visuals have also gone viral on social media, showing the chaos at US airports, as many tech giants have urged their employees to return to the country before September 21.
In a huge reprieve to Indian tech professionals, US officials on Saturday clarified that President Trump’s new order on increasing the H-1B fee to USD 100,000 will only apply to new applications and will not be applicable to existing holders.
“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 US official told news agency ANI.
The clarification comes hours after Trump’s order caused chaos at many airports in the US. Visuals have also gone viral on social media, showing the chaos at US airports, as many tech giants, including Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, have urged their employees to return to the country before September 21.ย
Why did Trump suddenly impose this order?
Trump has defended his new order and cited the ‘abuse’ of the H-1B visa for increasing fees. As per the US President, the abuse of the H-1B visa has posed a ‘national security threat’ for the United States.ย ย ย
“The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security,” said the Republican President in his order.ย
What did India say about Trump’s order?
Trump’s order will particularly impact the Indians. Therefore, India on Saturday said it is studying the full implications of the measures. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Trump’s order will likely have ‘humanitarian consequences’, urging the US administration to ‘suitably’ address them.
“Skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the United States and India,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Policy makers will therefore assess recent steps taking into account mutual benefits, which include strong people-to-people ties between the two countries.”
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