The difficulties of Indian citizens regarding America’s H-1B visa are increasing continuously. The Government of India has now formally registered its concern regarding the long delays in scheduling of interviews and consular appointments. The Ministry of External Affairs says that due to this situation a large number of Indian professionals, students and their families have been stuck in uncertainty for months.

During the weekly press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clearly said that due to repeated postponement of appointments related to H-1B visa, people’s personal and professional lives are being badly affected. He said that many applicants are waiting for interviews or re-scheduling for a long time, due to which families are also facing serious difficulties. The Indian government has raised this issue with the US administration at both New Delhi and Washington DC levels.

Changes in H-1B rules, Indians are most affected

The changes made in the H-1B visa system in recent months have impacted Indian citizens the most. Indians have the highest share among H-1B visa holders in America, especially in the technology, IT and service sectors. In such a situation, even a little strictness in the rules directly affects the plans of thousands of Indian professionals.

Complexity of the process increased due to social media investigation

Earlier this month, the Trump administration implemented a new rule in the visa process, under which it was made mandatory for H-1B, H-4 and F, M, J category applicants to make the privacy settings of all their social media accounts public. The US administration says that this will make it easier to check the online activities of the applicants. However, this additional scrutiny is causing further delays in visa processing and interview scheduling.

Interview postponed till May, applicants suddenly got information

After the implementation of the new rules, many H-1B applicants received e-mails from US officials informing them that their interviews had been postponed for further months. According to media reports, many interviews have now been shifted to May 2025. This sudden change has severely affected the travel, job and study plans of Indian professionals, students and their families.

Talks continue between India and America

The Ministry of External Affairs also clarified that the rules related to visa are the sovereign right of any country, but India has strongly put forward the problems of its citizens before America. Randhir Jaiswal expressed hope that some practical solution to this delay and chaos would be found. He also said that the rule of social media screening has been applied equally not only to India but to applicants from all countries.

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Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in January, legal disputes have continued over his administration’s policies, especially with Democratic states. This time, an important immigration policy of the Trump administration, the $1,00,000 fee increase on H-1B visas, is going to be challenged in court by 19 states. These include California, New York, Illinois and other states.

Lawsuit over H-1B visa fee increase
California and other states have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration. The H-1B program allows US employers to hire foreign workers for specialized occupations, as described by the US Department of Labor.

California Attorney General Rob Banta wrote on Twitter that Trump’s illegal new $100,000 H-1B visa fee could hinder the recruitment of teachers, physicians, researchers, nurses and other critical workers and jeopardize California’s ability to provide essential services. According to a press release from Banta’s office, this new fee could pose a costly barrier to employers, especially public and government institutions, who are trying to fill these positions.

When and where will the case be filed
According to Reuters report, this lawsuit will be filed on Friday (local time) and will be presented in the Federal Court of Massachusetts. This will be at least the third legal challenge. Earlier this increased fee was challenged by the US Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of unions, employers and religious groups.

What is this policy?
According to Banta’s office, the lawsuit states that this policy, implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a clear violation of the law. This is because it imposes burdensome fees outside the limits authorized by Congress, goes against the intent of Congress in establishing the H-1B program, bypasses essential rulemaking processes, and exceeds the power granted to the executive branch under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

Generally, the H-1B visa fee is set by DHS under the APA’s notice and comment process and is limited to the amount necessary to carry out the agency’s work. The lawsuit says that while an employer typically pays fees ranging from $960 to $7,595 when filing an initial H-1B petition, the new increased fee far exceeds the actual cost.

Banta’s statement
“No president can arbitrarily destabilize our schools, hospitals and universities, and no president can ignore Congress, the Constitution or the law,” Banta said at a press conference on Friday.

charge of disregard of procedure
The states also alleged that the increased fees were issued without the notice-and-comment process required by the APA and did not fully consider the impacts, particularly on the delivery of critical services by government and non-profit entities.

State filing suit
Besides California, the other states are: Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Attorneys General of California Rob Banta and Joey Campbell of Massachusetts are leading attorneys general of other states in filing the lawsuit.

Now strict action will be taken against those who take tourist visa for the purpose of giving birth in America. The US Embassy in India has made it clear that if any applicant intends to acquire citizenship by giving birth to a child on American soil, then such people will not be given tourist visas. The embassy said in a warning tone that this attempt would be considered an abuse of the US visa system and the application would be rejected outright.

US Embassy’s strict stance on ‘birth tourism’
The US Embassy, ​​while posting on the social media platform it is not allowed.’ This statement of the Embassy is a big blow to those who see the child’s American citizenship as a shortcut.

Trump brought new visa scheme
Amidst the strictness, US President Donald Trump has created a stir by presenting a new plan. Trump has announced the launch of a special visa program worth one million dollars named ‘Trump Gold Card’. This program will provide a path to US citizenship for immigrants who have the potential to make significant contributions to America.

Trump said that when bright students from countries like India and China return after completing their studies from America’s top universities, it is a ‘shameful and ridiculous’ situation for America. The Gold Card Scheme has been brought to retain this talent in America.

‘Extraordinary talents should be blocked in America’
During the meeting held at the White House, Trump claimed that this plan will help American companies to hire and hire global talent. He said, ‘It is a gift for a great person to come to our country. But after completing the degree they have to return to India, China, France or their respective countries. This situation is ridiculous and we are working to change it.

America has canceled 85 thousand visas. The US State Department said on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) that after the tightening of immigration rules, 85 thousand visas have been canceled since January, the reason for which has been said to be incidents of assault and theft. The State Department said that people involved in such crimes are a direct threat to American citizens.

The Ministry of External Affairs has given this information through a post on the social media platform X. In the post, the department wrote, ‘Since January till now 85,000 visas have been cancelled. President Donald Trump and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio are not going to stop it at the moment, it will continue. A photo of Donald Trump has also been shared with the post, in which he is seen with the slogan ‘Make America Safe Again’. This post is an indication that this action regarding visas is the center point of the Trump administration’s security agenda.

According to CNN, the US State Department said that more than 8000 student visas have been canceled. The State Department says that this time twice as many visas have been canceled as compared to last year. The ministry also said that most of the visas have been canceled in view of the incidents of driving under influence, assault and theft as the people involved in such incidents are a direct threat to American citizens.

There could be many other reasons behind the cancellation of such a large number of visas, which the Trump administration has mentioned earlier, which include overstaying in the US, criminal activities and supporting terrorism.

CNN’s report also said that the Trump administration is targeting students who are involved in protests against Gaza and who are accused of being anti-Semites and supporting extremist groups.

America has also postponed the appointment date for Indian applicants of H1-B visa. The US Embassy in India has posted on Twitter that the appointment date has been postponed to 2026, so they should come to the Consulate for the interview on the new date instead of the previous date.

America has implemented a new rule for H1-B and H-4 visas that now all the social media accounts of every applicant including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Snapchat will be checked. This process is starting from December 15, due to which the appointment date of the applicants has been extended by 3-4 months.

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The wait for H1-B visa applicants increased, entry will be banned if they go on appointment date, social media accounts will be checked, what’s in the new order?

Now in America, photo of every non-American citizen will be taken at the time of entry and exit. This step is part of the immigration policy of the Donald Trump administration, which aims to strengthen national security and control illegal migration. The US Customs and Border Protection Agency released this proposal in the Federal Register on Friday.

Photograph of every foreigner will be mandatory
Under the new policy, photographs will be taken of every non-citizen entering or leaving the country. This will include green card holders, foreigners on visa, and illegal immigrants. CBP says this step is necessary to combat fraudulent travel documents and terrorist threats. According to the agency, biometric information (photo and fingerprint) of travelers will be matched both at the time of entry and exit to ascertain whether a person is overstaying his/her visa period.

Border security will be strengthened with technology
CBP said that now facial recognition technology has become more accurate and faster than ever before, due to which this system can be implemented effectively. Through this technology, the agency will create a photo gallery of travelers, which will include passports, travel documents or photos taken at the border. These will be matched with new photographs taken in real time to confirm the identity.

The rules will come into effect from 26 December 2025
The new system will come into effect from 26 December 2025. After this, border officials will be able to take photographs of any foreign national while leaving the country and will also be able to collect additional biometric data if needed. Till now this rule did not apply to children below 14 years of age and people above 79 years of age, but now these exempted groups will also be included.

Preparations are already underway at airports
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is already using facial recognition technology at some airports. CBP already takes fingerprints and photos, but now this process will be mandatory every time you leave the country.

Ban on illegal stay and fake identification
The Trump administration believes that this system will make it easier to identify foreigners who overstay their visas, use false identities, and try to evade immigration rules. CBP acknowledged that implementing this system at ports without secure ‘exit lanes’ would be challenging, but modern technology now makes it possible. CBP estimates that this system will be fully implemented across the country in the next 3 to 5 years. The process of public opinion on this proposal is expected to start from October 27.

Giving a big relief to foreign professionals, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued new guidelines on the application fee of one lakh dollars for H-1B visa. Many exemptions and exceptions have been included in this. According to the new guidelines, people who are switching from F-1 (student) visa to H-1B visa category will not have to pay this heavy fee. Similarly, this fee will not be applicable on H-1B visa holders who apply for amendment, change of status or extension of visa while staying within the US.

Apart from this, existing H-1B visa holders will not have any restrictions on their travel to and from the country. This fee will be applicable only to those new applicants who are outside the US and do not have a valid H-1B visa. Online payment link for the new application process has also been released.

This clarification has come at a time when the US Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration against this decision. The organization called this fee illegal and said that it would have a serious economic impact on American businesses and companies would either have to drastically increase their labor expenses or reduce the recruitment of skilled foreign workers.

This is the second major legal challenge against the Trump administration. Earlier, a group of labor unions, education experts and religious institutions had also filed a lawsuit on October 3. Trump had said on this announcement signed on September 19 that its purpose is to encourage employment to American citizens. However, this decision has created confusion among existing visa holders as to whether they will be able to return to America or not.

The White House had told IANS on September 20 that this is a one-time fee, which will apply only to new visa applications and not to renewal or existing visa holders. In 2024, Indian-origin professionals had more than 70 percent share in the total approved H-1B visas. This was due to the huge backlog of cases pending in visa approval and the large number of highly skilled applicants coming from India.

US President Donald Trump H-1b Increasing the charge of visa shocked everyone, but there is news about the change in the rules related to it. Trump administration according to Bloomberg’s report H-1b Visa fees can give exemption to doctors. Right now its charge has been reduced to $ 100,000, but doctors can get relief. Trump signed a new law on 19 September, after which this news came.

After the announcement of Trump, there was a stir in India’s IT sector. India H-1b It is the largest country to use visa. All big hospitals including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and St. Jude Hospital H-1b Depends on visa. According to reports, Mayo has more than 300 sanctioned visas. Therefore, keeping this in mind, Indian doctors can get a discount in visa fee.

If this happens, the shortage of doctors will increase in America

The American Medical Association warned that heavy duty on visa would increase the shortage of doctors. To bring many American health systems and medical residents H-1b Visa dependence is high. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, ,The law allows possible discounts. It may include medical staff and doctors.“If the visa fee is not reduced, then the lack of medical staff in America may increase.”

What did Trump administration say on H-1B visa

Trump administration H-1b Regarding the visa, it was told that the new application filed on or after 21 September will charge one lakh dollars. This is just one time payment. It should not be considered an annual fee. Let me tell you that there was a tension situation between India and America regarding tariffs, but now the stir has increased on the visa. However, soon these issues can be solved. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has recently met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

China on Monday (September 22, 2025) refused to comment on the move of US President Donald Trump to impose a heavy duty of $ 1,00,000 for H-1B visas, but also invited global professionals to work in the country. China is preparing to start a new employment visa next month.

On Friday, the Trump administration announced a lump sum of US $ 1,00,000 on H-1B visas. When asked about Trump’s decision in a press conference here, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, “We will not comment on the US visa policy.”

China started K-Visa ‘Work Permit’

Along with this, he invited global professionals to work in China. He said, ‘In the globalized world, the border movement of talent plays an important role in global technology and economic progress. China welcomes talents from different regions around the world, so that they come to China for the progress of humanity and success of career.

While the US is tightening its visa system, China has announced a new ‘work permit’ called K-Viza last month, under which a qualified professional from all over the world can come to the country and find work opportunities.

Invitation from domestic employer or institution is not necessary

The K-visja, which is effective from October 1, is aimed at attracting youth science and technology talent and for this there is no need to issue invitations from any domestic employer or institution. The new visa category was approved by ‘State Council’

According to the government news agency ‘Xinhua’, last month it was signed by Prime Minister Lee Qing as part of China’s entry and amendment in exit rules. In the backdrop of trade talks with the US, China has kept silence on the H-1B issue, where the student and work visa is also being discussed.

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Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Edelweiss AML, said that she would no longer want to go back to America for extended to the US. He talked about Indian students studying in America and shared his experiences.

Radhika Gupta wrote in a post on LinkedIn, ‘I was lucky that I got a graduation in 2005, when the H-1B criteria were more favorable in the US, but during the financial crisis in 2008, the situation changed rapidly and many Indian students started feeling upset, lost and trapped.’

‘Dare, let’s go back now’

He said, ‘After the visa criteria in the US, some students returned home, while some decided to return to India even after a valid visa. Those who had a valid visa, they also returned to their homeland. Today, here we have achieved a lot of success with our hard work and dedication and now we are feeling bliss.

Gupta said, ‘She left America 20 years ago and if she still gets a chance, she will not go there herself.’ Encouraging Indian students living abroad, he said, “If you are currently in the American campus and feel disappointed, remember that if one door is closed then many more doors are opened.” Radhika said, ‘India of the year 2025 has now become more exciting than India of 2005. Dare, let’s go back now.

In 2006, AQR included in Capital Management

Let us know that Ms. Gupta, who was a student of Pennsylvania University and Wharton School, graduated in Computer Science Engineering and Economics in the year 2005. Before joining the AQR Capital Management in 2006, he worked as a business analyst at McInsey & Co..

After the increase in the H-1B visa duty implemented by US President Donald Trump, where visa holders had to pay a year fee of $ 10,000 $ 10, now the same fee has been increased to $ 1,00,000. To protect American jobs and ensure that only qualified employees are hired in America.

Also read:- ‘Stop rubbish, bring top talent’, US minister Howard Lutnik cleaned Trump government’s stand on H-1B

Indian IT companies and professionals have found a new way after the Donald Trump administration paid 1 lakh dollars (about 88 lakh rupees) of the H-1B visa lump sum fees. Now the focus is fast moving towards L-1 visa, which is currently being considered a cheaper and convenient option than H-1B.

Why the trend towards L-1 visa is moving
Due to the increased cost of H-1B, it has become difficult for companies to send foreign employees to America. At the same time, there is no limit to recruitment on L-1 visa and it allows companies to transfer its employees from abroad. With this, Indian companies can easily send their already working employees to America.

What do experts have to say?
Experts say that L-1 visa is not a completely easy solution. For this, the employee must have to work abroad with the company at least one year. This means that newly recruited candidates cannot be sent directly to America on L-1. Apart from this, the investigation of American officials on this visa is also tightened.

Investigation will increase, yet companies ready
Legal experts say that as companies increase the use of L-1 to avoid H-1B, the US administration can also monitor and tighten this category. This may include more documents, high rejection rates and additional rules. Despite this, companies are considering it as the only practical path.

New route to Indian IT sector
The uncertainty and concern over the increase of H-1B fees has forced Indian companies to find alternative measures to send their employees to America. In such a situation, L-1 visa is proving to be a new jugaad for the Indian IT sector, even if many challenges are associated with it.