AAP slams Modi govt after US hikes H-1B visa fee to $100,000

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday launched a pointed critique of the Modi government following US President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase the annual H-1B visa fee to $100,000. The sharp rise is expected to directly affect Indian IT professionals and firms, with industry leaders voicing serious concerns over its timing and impact.

The US H-1B visa programme has historically enabled Indian professionals to work in American technology companies, with Indian applicants forming the largest cohort.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday took a sarcastic jibe towards the government’s repeated reference to "Amritkaal", a term used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to denote a supposed golden period for India’s economy and global standing. AAP sarcastically said that now is the opportunity for IT professionals working in the US to come back to India and enjoy "Amritkaal (the golden period)".

"This is an opportunity for those people from India living in America who thought that Amrit Kaal has arrived in India. They should now come back to India and enjoy Amrit Kaal," Bharadwaj said while speaking to news agency ANI.

"Trump has hiked the fee to USD 100,000, which is nearly Rs 9,000,000, so that US companies will stop hiring Indian IT professionals. Now the people who lived in the US and thought that Mr Modi has taken India from the bottom to the top, can come back and see for themselves what kind of Vishwaguru India has become and what the Amritkaal is like," he quipped.

He said, underscoring the party’s criticism of the government’s claims about economic progress, that the BJP should be actually thanking the Trump administration, which has allowed people to experience the Amritkaal first hand.

VISA FEE HIKE'S LIKELY IMPACT

The recent decision marks a dramatic increase from previous annual fees, which ranged from $2,000 to $5,000.

India’s top IT industry body, Nasscom, responded to the development stating, highlighting that the sudden escalation in costs and the short deadline for compliance would have significant consequences.

The IT body added that the order, which takes effect at 12:01 am on September 21, leaves just a one-day window for compliance and that is seriosly concerning. Nasscom said the lack of a transition period would hinder companies’ ability to adapt.

Adjustments of this nature can potentially have ripple effects on America's innovation ecosystem and the wider job economy, Nasscom said in a statement. The body added that high-skilled talent is "vital to driving innovation, competitiveness, and growth for America’s economy".

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