H-1B fee hike "not smart idea for US economy," says BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], September 21 (ANI): State President BJP Kerala Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday criticised US President Donald Trump's decision to sign an executive order raising H-1B visa sponsorship fees to $100,000, calling the move detrimental to America's own technology ecosystem.
Chandrasekhar , while speaking to ANI, pointed out that India's innovation ecosystem has grown in scale and capability, and is no longer entirely dependent on opportunities in the US.
"I don't believe this is a very smart idea for the American economy, but that is the American prerogative. As far as the Indian industry is concerned, I think our Indian innovation ecosystem is today of a size and scale that does not only depend on what the Americans do with the H-1B visa," he said.
The BJP leader said India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had already issued a statement, underlining the importance of talent mobility in driving global innovation.
"Innovation and technology today is a very cross-border activity, and the success of both the US innovation ecosystem and the Indian innovation ecosystem has come through the seamless movement of talent and the ability for companies to access talent across countries, including India," he said.
The BJP leader, who himself once worked in the US on an H-1B visa, stressed that restricting talent flow would harm American competitiveness.
"I was a beneficiary of the H-1B visa many, many years ago. I can certainly tell you that it is not something that is good for the American technology ecosystem because it depends in very large part on Indian talent," he noted.
He added that the US will ultimately realise that future technological progress will demand "more and more cross-border collaboration and cross-border talent cooperation."
The United States has introduced a one-time fee of USD 100,000 for new H-1B visa applications, in a measure designed to further restrict the entry of foreign skilled workers.
The announcement, which took effect on September 21, initially triggered alarm among Indian professionals in the US, with several immigration lawyers and firms cautioning that H-1B holders and their families outside the country should return within 24 hours to avoid being stranded.
However, the White House later clarified that the new fee would apply only to fresh applicants and not to existing visa holders, offering relief to current beneficiaries of the programme. (ANI)