On September 22 of 2025, Trump announced a new H-1B visa fee that came at the price of $100,000, worrying employers. To add, some of the biggest companies in the U.S. are actually run by Indians, causing them confusion and distress. 71% of Visa holders have turned out to be Indians, so they are central to this fee, which also makes this a significant impact on many Indian workers and their families.
On Friday of last week, Trump announced that every single new H-1B visa will be put on a price tag of $100,000, an enormous rise from the few thousand it had cost in the past and the fee took effect on Sunday.
This has flipped many of the long-term service workers jobs around, and now the connections between the U.S. and India are being targeted.
Trump stated in a New York Times article that “Any Non-American who meets a certain criteria is eligible for the visa — provided they bring “ a body of highly specialized knowledge ” needed by a U.S. employer — but Indians are in a league of their own” (Travelli Sept. 22,2025).
As of 2024, there were over 300,000 H-1B workers that were Indian working for the U.S. Many of the workers are still in shock by this and haven’t been able to fully comprehend the situation, but soon after Trump clarified to the workers that it would only apply to new applicants, causing the panic to subside between the workers. We can confirm that Trump has indefinitely caused a mess to the connections or the “bridges” between India and the U.S.
This move made by Trump could indefinitely dent the connection between the two and cause India’ economy to also be affected by this because the amount of money getting sent home by the workers will reduce significantly, and weaken ties between them even more than before.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India mentioned in the New York Times article cited previously, “If the outcome of the policy change is that fewer Indians are working with Americans, it will weaken a significant bond between the two countries” (Travelli Sept. 22,2025). The Prime Minister, already having been affected by Trump’s trade war, this only counts yet another problem in their relationship with the U.S.
