**Has Trump’s Recent Order Rendered the H-1B Visa Program Ineffective?**
*By Dwaipayan Roy | Sep 21, 2025 | 06:24 pm*
US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation increasing the fee for H-1B visas to a staggering $100,000. This significant change comes into effect immediately and is expected to have a major impact on global hiring practices.
A White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, clarified that this is a one-time fee rather than an annual charge. This means H-1B visa holders will not have to pay the fee again for re-entry into the United States.
But does this new fee render the H-1B visa program practically ineffective? Let’s explore the implications.
### Hiring Trends: Rise in Remote Hiring
The sharp increase in H-1B visa fees is likely to encourage companies to turn to remote hiring, especially from India. Ritu Sethi, Partner at ABC Consultants, suggests that this change could actually open up more opportunities for Indian tech professionals to work for multinational companies remotely.
However, she also notes that the higher visa costs might limit the number of Indians willing or able to take up onsite roles within US organizations.
### Business Strategy: Adoption of Hybrid Models
Kapil Joshi, CEO of IT Staffing at Quess Corp, predicts that businesses will increasingly adopt hybrid working models. These models involve keeping client-facing roles local to the US while centralizing much of the work in India and other talent hubs abroad.
Joshi emphasizes the importance of investing in robust collaboration tools to ensure that remote teams feel fully integrated. He also highlights the need to scale global capability centers to support this evolving work environment.
### Impact Assessment: Potential Reverse Brain Drain
The hike in H-1B visa fees could have a profound impact on India’s technology talent pool. Siddhartha Nigam, Partner and Global Markets and US Corridor Leader at Grant Thornton Bharat, points out that nearly 70% of H-1B visa holders are Indian nationals.
According to Nigam, the increased cost will force companies to rethink their offshore-onshore resource balance. This shift could even trigger a reverse brain drain as senior professionals might choose to return to India instead of pursuing opportunities in the US.
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**In summary, while the H-1B program is not entirely obsolete, the substantial fee increase is poised to reshape how firms approach international hiring, potentially reducing the number of onsite H-1B visa holders and accelerating trends in remote and hybrid work models.**
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/world/effect-of-trump-s-recent-order-on-h-1b-visa-program/story