Fares to the US have surged as H-1B visa holders in India scrambled to return forward of President Donald Trump’s sudden announcement of a $100,000 payment per visa, efficient September 21.
Tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft suggested their H-1B and H-4 staff to journey again to the US earlier than the deadline, fueling a surge in demand.
Practically all nonstop flights from India, together with seven operated by Air India and one every by United Airways and American Airways, had been practically full, with one-way financial system tickets from Delhi to New York hovering as much as Rs 1.05 lakh.
By Saturday night, the one remaining flight that would meet the September 21 deadline was American Airways’ AA 293, departing Delhi at 11:30 PM and touchdown in New York at 6:05 AM on Sunday.
Main tech corporations, together with Amazon and Microsoft, instructed their H-1B and H-4 visa staff in India to return to the US earlier than the cutoff, whereas advising these already within the US to stay there in the intervening time. This steering prompted Indian journey businesses and airways to count on a surge in inbound cancellations in the course of the upcoming festive and wedding ceremony season.
Trump’s H-1B Visa Hike
On Friday, US President Donald Trump signed an government order introducing a USD 100,000 payment for every H-1B visa utility.
US Clarifies Visa Hike Coverage
Following the announcement, the US Citizenship and Immigration Providers (USCIS) clarified that the brand new payment will solely apply to contemporary H-1B petitions filed on or after September 21, and won’t influence beforehand submitted petitions or present visa holders.
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasised that the USD 100,000 cost is a one-time payment for brand new petitions, not an annual recurring fee, and doesn’t apply to renewals or current H-1B visa holders.
H-1B Visa Hike Set To Influence Indians
This important payment hike is predicted to closely influence Indian professionals and the tech corporations that make use of and sponsor them, as Indian nationals accounted for 73% of all authorized H-1B visas in 2023, in comparison with simply 12% for Chinese language candidates.
What are H-1B visas?
The H-1B visa program permits US corporations to make use of international employees with specialised expertise, resembling engineers, software program builders, and scientists, for an preliminary interval of three years, which will be prolonged as much as six years.