New Delhi, Sept. 20 -- President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that requires companies to pay $100,000 annually for every foreign worker brought under the H-1B visa, marking a 100-fold increase. This could deal a severe blow to aspirational Indians and companies that rely on Indian workers in the US.

Indians are major beneficiaries of H-1B visas issues by the US government, making up about 70% of the total. Before the sudden and hefty fee hike, the number of H-1B visas issued to Indians had already fallen as the Trump administration tightened the rules, imposing a quota and putting a lottery system in place.

Data from the US State Department showed Indians were issued 63,323 H-1B work visas during January to May 2025,...