US President Donald Trump just dropped a big change for H-1B visas, announcing that American companies now face a $100,000 fee to hire skilled foreign workers. This move hits Indian tech talent hardest, since about 71% of H-1B visa holders come from India and power firms like Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, and Tata Consultancy Services.
In response, Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, is encouraging Indian students and professionals in the US to head back home. “India of 2025 is a far more exciting place than India of 2005 ever was,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter. She wants to remind everyone of the opportunities waiting in India amid these H-1B visa restrictions.
Gupta shared her own experience from the 2008 financial crisis. Back then, she graduated in 2005 when H-1B rules were much friendlier for Indians chasing tech jobs in the US. But the crisis flipped everything. “Many Indian students felt upset, lost, and stuck,” she wrote. Some returned to India right away, while others, like her, came back later. Today, she says they’ve all built rewarding careers and lives here—with plenty of professional growth and the satisfaction of contributing to their own country. “Personally, I wouldn’t want to go back—at all,” Gupta added.
Looking at today’s tough US job market and visa hurdles, she urged those feeling down on US campuses: “When one door closes, many others open back home.” She wrapped up her post with an upbeat call: “Chin up. Aao, ab laut chalen!”—meaning “Come, let’s return now!”
Major US tech companies are already reacting. Microsoft told employees with H-1B and H-4 visas—who are outside the US right now—to rush back before the September 21 deadline, when the new $100,000 annual fee kicks in for 12 months. JPMorgan and others have similar advice: H-1B workers already in the US should stay put and skip international travel for now to avoid complications.
The H-1B visa program lets US firms bring in experts for roles in technology, engineering, and other high-skill fields. With this Trump announcement shaking things up, it’s sparking talks about Indian talent returning and boosting India’s own booming tech scene.
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