Trump got appeasement, India suffered humiliation: Congress on H-1B visa-fee renewal

New Delhi: The Congress accused the Narendra Modi government on Saturday of bending backwards to appease US President Donald Trump and claimed that while Trump got appeasement, India suffered humiliation.

"Trump has extended the USD 100,000 H-1B visa fee for another 12 months -- a move that will hit Indian IT, tech professionals and the student talent pipeline hard.

Also Read: Trump extends push for $100,000 H-1B visas by another year


"The impact: F-1. H-1B: Harder for Indian students to enter the US workforce. Fewer jobs: Smaller firms may avoid sponsorships altogether. Talent drain: More professionals may look to the UK, Canada and Australia. Remittance risk: Lower migration could mean lower remittances to India over time," Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X.

"Modi bent over backwards to appease Trump. Trump got the appeasement. India took the humiliation and the hit," he said.

Trump has extended by a year the requirement for a USD 100,000 payment for certain H-1B visa petitions, the White House said.

Also Read: H-1B visa: Indian diaspora group backs Trump’s scrutiny, warns against hurting US innovation

In a presidential proclamation issued on Friday, Trump said the 2025 measure imposing the USD 100,000 payment had led to a 92-per cent decrease in H-1B registrations by large IT outsourcing firms.

Indians remain the largest group of beneficiaries of the US H-1B visa programme.

Trump issued a separate order to tighten the scrutiny of H-1B visa applications by directing US agencies to consider recent or planned layoffs of similarly-situated American workers when reviewing applications.

The White House said the measure aims to improve programme integrity and prevent employers from using the H-1B programme to undercut or displace US workers.