Hyderabad, Sept. 21 -- Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Sunday voiced serious concern over reports of an unprecedented increase in the US H-1B visa fee, which is expected to affect thousands of Indian professionals--especially from Telangana and the wider IT community.

Minister Prabhakar said the reported decision to impose a fee of nearly Rs 90 lakh (approx USD 100,000) for H-1B visas would have serious repercussions on Indian tech talent, IT exports, and the aspirations of young professionals. Telangana, with its vibrant IT hub in Hyderabad, sends a significant number of highly skilled workers to the United States each year.

"The strength of Indo-US relations lies in the exchange of talent and technology. Such sudden, ...