Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 20 : Bharatiya Janata Party leader Boora Narsaiah Goud heavily criticised United States imposing a USD 100,000 fee on H1B visas, claiming that such a move will hurt the American economy more than it would the Indian economy.
"Trump and his action imposing USD 1 on H-1B visa, will destroy the American economy more than the Indian economy. His sinful, cruel ideas to target the Indian economy are going to hurt America more than India," the BJP leader told reporters here.
Urging all political leaders to "unite under the leadership of PM Modi" and turn these hurdles into opportunities, Goud highlighted the example of India becoming self-reliant after countries refused to give cryogenic fuel to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
"Previously, the majority of the countries refused cryogenic fuel for the ISRO. And we became Atmanirbhar Bharat. Now, ISRO is competing with major powers in the world. It is a lesson for the Indian politicians not to be happy in the four walls. Let us unite under the leadership of PM Modi. Let us turn these hurdles into opportunities to think beyond," he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump's signed a presidential proclamation on Friday (local time) imposing a USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas. The proclamation, titled "Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers" that introduces a major overhaul to the H-1B visa programme and raises fresh questions about whether this is a much-needed correction or a potentially crippling blow to America's tech talent pipeline.
Set to take effect on September 21, the proclamation represents one of the Trump administration's most aggressive efforts yet to overhaul the H-1B visa programme. Framed as a crackdown on "systemic abuse", it places strict financial and compliance burdens on companies seeking to hire skilled foreign workers, especially in the technology and IT sectors.
According to the order, IT firms now dominate the programme, with the share of H-1B approvals going to tech workers rising from 32 per cent in FY 2003 to over 65 per cent in recent years. Many of these firms, the administration notes, have simultaneously laid off American employees while ramping up their H-1B hiring.
"Information technology (IT) firms in particular have prominently manipulated the H-1B system, significantly harming American workers in computer-related fields. The share of IT workers in the H-1B program grew from 32 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 to an average of over 65 percent in the last 5 fiscal years," proclamation read.
The proclamation also cites real-world cases where American workers were not just laid off but forced to train their foreign replacements and sign non-disclosure agreements as part of severance packages, highlighting, in the administration's view, a systemic abuse of the visa system.