Instead, Krish is still stuck in India and has become even more anxious after US President Donald Trump announced a hefty $100,000 (Rs 88 lakh) annual fee on H-1B visas with effect from Sunday. The fee hike is aimed at dissuading US companies from recruiting skilled foreign workers using H-1B visas, most of whom belong to India.
His wife went into labour last week, giving birth to a daughter. His interview is now slated for next week, but he’s worried about the outcome following Trump’s announcement.
Krish is among scores of Indians who are visiting India for various reasons such as work, personal business, and visa renewals, and have been stranded overnight with little or no clarity on their return, disrupting careers, families and companies.
Trump’s proclamation on Saturday made companies sponsoring H-1B workers liable to pay the $100,000 annual fee for their petitions.
This has left most Indians seeking the visa in a state of uncertainty. Recent reports suggest that the $100,000 fee is applicable only for fresh H-1B visas and will not affect existing holders. However, Indians stuck in India are still awaiting clarity.
Take the case of Suresh (name changed), who works at one of the largest technology companies in the US. Suresh came to India last week to perform the last rites of his father, a taxi driver. With his H-1B visa renewal pending, Suresh is unsure of how the developments will affect him.
Gnanamookan Senthurjothi, founder of US immigration platform The Visa Code, has been fielding calls since early Saturday from worried H-1B holders. “We have over 20 people calling me since morning and new clients reach out on social media to get clarity on where they stand,” he said.
Many are caught in a jam, not knowing what to do.
“One of our clients is a young student, who got his H-1B approved this year and is coming home for the first time in five years. Now he is stuck,” he said, adding the client’s visa appointment is scheduled in the coming week. “There is more confusion than clarity.”
According to reports online, panicked Indians headed home are deplaning midway after learning about the new rule over fears of being unable to re-enter the US. Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and JP Morgan have advised H-1B employees against overseas travel.
Krish, the person cited above, said the company he works for has shared guidance advising employees to stay in the US and is helping those outside with tickets using company credit cards.
The widespread workforce disruptions are coming at a time when many startup founders from India are setting up shop in the US to benefit from its position as the centre of the AI boom.
The prevailing scenario will impact H-1B holders aiming to start businesses in the US, said Chaitanya Chokkareddy, co-founder of Ozonetel, a customer experience platform.
Divij Kishore, founding attorney of Flagship Law, a US-based immigration law firm, concurred that entrepreneurial H-1B petitioners would get affected under the new rule. They face the choice of incurring extraordinary costs or abandoning their ventures altogether. The revised rule allows entrepreneurs to self-sponsor H-1B visas through their startups.
Qodex, an API testing and security company, is recalibrating its US hiring strategy by accelerating recruitment in India due to immigration issues, cofounder Siddhant Mohan had said previously.