From H-1B fee to OPT charge for job-after-college degree: The US visa moves Indians need to track | Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times

**From H‑1B Fee to OPT Charge: The U.S. Visa Moves Indians Need to Track** *By INDGovernment.com Staff*

The Trump administration’s latest immigration overhaul includes a staggering $103,265 fee for each H‑1B petition, a figure first reported by *The Hindu* and reiterated by *Telegraph India*. The charge, which would be levied on employers rather than the foreign worker, is intended to fund a new “immigration enforcement” budget and to discourage the hiring of overseas talent for high‑skill roles. Indian nationals, who have traditionally comprised roughly 70 % of the annual H‑1B cap, stand to feel the brunt of the increase, as many U.S. tech firms rely heavily on Indian engineers and data scientists. The fee would apply to every petition, including renewals and extensions, effectively raising the cost of a single H‑1B worker to the equivalent of a senior‑level executive salary in India.

At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is moving to impose a separate charge on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows recent foreign‑student graduates to work in the United States for up to 12 months (or 36 months for STEM fields). According to *The Wire* and *Hindustan Times*, a proposed rule would add a $1,000 fee for new OPT applications and a $500 fee for each extension, replacing the current $410 filing cost. The change comes amid a broader tightening of non‑immigrant visas, including a wave of B‑1/B‑2 tourist visa revocations and stricter scrutiny of F‑1 student status. Policymakers argue the fees will offset administrative expenses, while critics warn they could deter top talent from studying and staying in the United States after graduation.

Indian‑American advocacy groups have swiftly mobilized against both proposals. A coalition led by the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) filed lawsuits and lobbied Congress, contending that the $103,265 H‑1B fee would push employers to offshore jobs to cheaper labor markets, thereby harming the U.S. tech sector and the Indian diaspora’s economic contributions. In statements to *Telegraph India*, the groups emphasized that the fee “creates an artificial barrier that could reverse decades of skilled‑immigration gains.” If enacted, the combined financial burden could prompt a noticeable dip in new H‑1B petitions from India and a slowdown in the flow of Indian graduates entering the U.S. workforce via OPT, reshaping the bilateral talent pipeline that has long underpinned Silicon Valley’s growth.