India, Oct. 21 -- In a major relief for thousands of Indian professionals and students in the United States, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified that recent international graduates sponsored for H-1B status while already in the country will not be required to pay the steep $100,000 fee introduced by the Donald Trump administration last month. Officials had earlier also stated that existing H-1B visa holders will not be required to pay the fees announced last month.

The clarification comes after weeks of confusion following Trump's proclamation, which mandated the steep annual fee, equivalent to around Rs.90 lakh, for employers sponsoring technically skilled foreign workers. The fee was scheduled to take effe...