'Totally unacceptable': Telangana CM Revanth Reddy on H1B visa fee hike

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy termed US President Donald Trump's new order on H-1B visas "totally unacceptable".

Reddy also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take urgent steps to protect Indian tech workers.

The executive orders of President of America had come as a shocker to all.

This is totally unacceptable in the historical context of Indo-American relationships.

It is for the Indian Government to immediately set up a mechanism to resolve this amicably keeping the interests of...

- Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) September 20, 2025

In a post on X on Saturday, Revanth Reddy wrote, "The executive orders of President of America had come as a shocker to all. This is totally unacceptable in the historical context of Indo-American relationships. It is for the Indian Government to immediately set up a mechanism to resolve this amicably keeping the interests of our tech population and skilled workers, who have served America for so long."

"The suffering for our Telugu techies will be unimaginable. Requesting Hon'ble Prime Minister and EAM Shri@DrSJaishankarto resolve this issue on a war footing," the post read.

US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) made a major overhaul to the H-1B visa programme, imposing a steep USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications.

Meanwhile, earlier, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified that the USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications will only apply to the new applicants and not to the petitions submitted prior to September 21.

"This proclamation only applies prospectively to petitions that have not yet been filed. The proclamation does not apply to aliens who: are the beneficiaries of petitions that were filed prior to the effective date of the proclamation, are the beneficiaries of currently approved petitions, or are in possession of validly issued H-1B non-immigrant visas," Joseph B Edlow, Director of USCIS, clarified in a memorandum on Saturday (local time).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed the same. She also stated that the USD 100,000 fee on the H-1B visa application is a one-time fee, clarifying the misconception that it is an annual fee.

"To be clear: This is NOT an annual fee. It's a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders," Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X.

She also informed that the fee will not be charged on H-1B visa holders who are currently outside of the country.