In a development that could adversely affect Indian professionals in the U.S., President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation to raise the fee for H-1B visas to a staggering $1,00,000 annually, a move described by American lawmakers and community leaders as “reckless” and “unfortunate”.
Mr. Trump signed the proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’, saying the abuse of the H-1B visa programme is a “national security threat”.
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Meanwhile, immigration attorneys and companies have asked the H-1B visa holders or their family members currently outside America for work or vacation to return within the next 24 hours or risk being stranded and denied entry into the U.S. after the proclamation comes into effect from 12:01 am September 21.
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According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Amazon had 10,044 workers using H-1B visas as of June, 2025. Coming in at the second spot was TCS with 5,505 H-1B visas approved. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).