"Also impacting American companies, they would've huge issues": MCCIA DG Prashant Girbane on H1B visa fee hike

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], September 22 (ANI): Prashant Girbane, Director General of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), on Monday said the steep hike in H-1B visa sponsorship fees announced by the US will affect not just Indian IT companies but also American tech giants.
"It is going to impact only the fresh applications, first of all. It's not just impacting Indian IT companies. It's also impacting American companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Tesla. They would have huge issues," Girbane told ANI.
The reaction follows the US administration's recent increase in H-1B sponsorship fees to USD 100,000, a move that has sparked sharp responses from India and industry stakeholders.
Citing examples, Girbane pointed out that Indian talent has been central to many global innovations, including major projects at Tesla and the development of ChatGPT.
"Hey, look at it this way, Tesla is one of the major manufacturing plants being run by somebody who studied at Pune, COEP, and is running it. Chat GPT 4.0 was done by somebody who studied in Pune and went on an H1B. And there are many such individuals from India who are helping American companies do that, thanks to the H1B visa. Are we going to lose? Possibly a bit. Are they going to lose? Of course yes," he remarked.
Girbane also stressed that the development is an opportunity for Indian manufacturers to "focus on quality" standards and reduce dependency on imports.
"One, of course, what we can buy from India, we must buy from India. Second, it is also a responsibility on Indian manufacturers to focus on quality so that there is no need for an individual to go and buy something that is imported. At a macro level, of course, the more we can manufacture in India, the better it is for every Indian," he added.
He added, "At a macro level, of course, the more we can manufacture in India, the better it is for every Indian, not just those who are manufacturing, but each and every one of us."
Meanwhile, on Sunday (local time), the US State Department provided further clarity on President Donald Trump's H-1B visa proclamation, which has triggered widespread concern across the tech industry and among Indian professionals living in the US on the visa.
The department debunked several false claims circulating after Trump signed the order last week. The US State Department stressed that the new H-1B rules "do not apply to any previously issued H-1B visas, or any petitions submitted prior to 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time on September 21, 2025."
Clarifying further, the State Department said the new fee requirement applies only to individuals or companies filing fresh H-1B petitions or entering the lottery system after September 21. Current visa holders and petitions submitted before that date remain unaffected.
Under the proclamation, a $100,000 payment must accompany every new H-1B visa petition filed after the deadline, including entries in the 2026 lottery. The order also authorises the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to coordinate all necessary measures for implementation.
Guidance has already been issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of State to ensure consistent enforcement across agencies, as per the statement issued by the Department of State. (ANI)