India, Sept. 21 -- In an abrupt and deeply disruptive move, the United States has announced a sweeping overhaul of the H-1B visa program, hiking the annual visa fee to $ 100,000 (approximately '88 lakh). The changes, which take effect from midnight on September 21, have set off alarms across India's tech industry, diplomatic circles, and among the hundreds of thousands of Indian families whose livelihoods depend on the program.
Signed by US President Donald Trump, now reinstated to office, the executive order titled "Restriction on Entry of Certain Non-Immigrant Workers" claims the visa program has been "abused" and now represents a "national security threat".
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday expressed concern, stati...