Indian opposition leaders from the Congress party are slamming US President Donald Trump’s new H-1B visa rules, calling them a fresh blow to India-US ties. They argue that the changes, including a steep $100,000 annual fee, stem from weaknesses in India’s own government policies under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress MP Manoj Kumar told it’s nothing new from Trump, who has already hit India with tariffs. “Everyone in India knows what Trump wants and what he’s doing,” Kumar said. He mocked the idea of Modi as Trump’s “great friend” while such fees target Indian workers. “Trump thinks he’s a king, but we’ll stand our ground. He’s digging his own grave with these policies.”
Echoing that, Congress leader Surendra Rajput accused the US of acting like an enemy despite the friendly talk. “Trump is hurting 1.4 billion Indians,” Rajput said, listing key examples: the H-1B fee hike, the recent revocation of a sanctions waiver for India’s Chabahar port (vital for trade with Russia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East without Pakistan), and 50% tariffs on Indian goods. “A real friend wouldn’t do this. One tweet on Modi’s birthday doesn’t make them buddies.”
Another Congress voice, Vijay Wadettiwar, pointed out that media often spotlights Trump’s praise for Modi but ignores the actions—like rising tariffs—that Indians suffer from. “The souring of Indo-US relations? That’s straight from our government’s playbook,” he added.
On the US side, Trump signed the proclamation Friday at the White House to push companies toward hiring American workers. “We need great workers, and this ensures it,” Trump said. The goal? Curb what he calls overuse of the H-1B program, which lets US firms bring in skilled foreigners in tech and engineering fields. Now, every application faces that $100,000 yearly fee, and visas renew only up to a total of six years—for new hires and extensions alike.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick backed the move, saying it makes hiring foreign talent too expensive. “No more training foreigners on the cheap. Pay the government $100,000 a year, plus the employee’s salary? It’s not worth it. Train Americans from our top universities instead,” Lutnick explained. He stressed that the policy stops “free” visas from letting people stay indefinitely unless they’re truly valuable.
The White House claims the H-1B program has been exploited to swap out American workers for cheaper, lower-skilled foreigners, threatening US economic and national security. As a next step, the Labor Secretary will update prevailing wage rules to make foreign hires even costlier.
Trump and Lutnick say big tech companies support it fully. “They love it—they need it,” Trump noted. “Everyone will be happy, and we’ll keep productive people in America.”
Trump also launched a “gold card” program via executive order, offering visas for $1 million to individuals or $2 million to companies—aimed at wealthy investors.
The H-1B visa caps at 85,000 new spots a year, so this shake-up could hit major US tech giants hard, especially those relying on Indian talent for jobs in software, engineering, and IT.
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