India, Sept. 20 -- US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order introducing a $100,000 annual fee for new H-1B visa applicants, citing "abuse" of the program. The order, set to take effect on 21 September, has raised alarm among companies and visa holders alike. Experts and corporate advisers warn that the fee could make some foreign talent prohibitively expensive to hire.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained, "The company needs to decide. is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home, and they should go hire an American. All of the big companies are on board."

Since 2004, H-1B applications have been capped at 85,000 per year. Administrative fees until no...