H-1B visa confusion: Renewals to job change, does the new fee apply? It’s not clear, say experts

More than a week later, crucial details about the new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas remain undefined, said immigration experts and experts, which is causing panic among Indian communities and the tech industry in the United States.

On September 19, US President Donald Trump signed the proclamation, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers”, sparking widespread confusion among immigrant employees. The same day, an Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai was stuck on the tarmac for three hours as H-1B visa holders scrambled to understand if they would be able to re-enter the US. At least five people deboarded before the plane took off.

Eighteen hours after the proclamation was issued, clarifications followed. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the $100,000 fee would be applicable “only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders” and that H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the US as they normally would. The new fee amounts to about Rs 88 lakh.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, the federal agency that processes visa applications and immigration benefits, said the proclamation did not apply to existing visa-holders or those who had applied before the cut-off date on September 21. The Customs and Border Protection and the US State...

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