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Trump’s $100,000 H-1B fee could spark reverse brain drain, fuel India’s tech ambitions
For decades, Indian talent viewed the H-1B as a path to the American dream. The new cost barrier may keep many home or push them elsewhere.
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R Suryamurthy - Sat, 20, Sep 2025
- 15:43 EDT
- 15
Representative Image / Generated using Perplexity AI
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas has stunned India’s $200 billion IT services industry and millions of aspiring migrants.
But beneath the panic, a counter-narrative is gathering force: the move may accelerate the return of talent and capital to India, deepen its startup ecosystem, and force the country to reimagine its place in the global technology order.
Also read: "Come Back Home": Industry voices invite H-1B professionals back to India
Signed on Sept. 19, Trump’s proclamation threatens to upend a visa program that has long served as a bridge between Indian talent and the American dream. Indians accounted for 71 percent of H-1B approvals last year, filling critical roles in Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and Fortune 500 companies. For two decades, the program has also underpinned India’s IT export model, with firms such as Infosys, Wipro, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) deploying engineers onsite to service U.S. clients.
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