Overview
- President Donald Trump defended the H-1B program by saying the U.S. needs specialized talent for chip manufacturing and other advanced work, drawing criticism from Republican allies who want the visas curtailed.
- The White House said the new $100,000 charge on fresh H-1B applications is intended to deter abuse and protect U.S. workers, highlighting a Labor Department enforcement drive called Project Firewall.
- Recruiters signaled resistance to the fee shock, with Metaview posting banners outside IIT-Delhi pledging to keep sponsoring H-1B visas despite the higher cost.
- IIT leaders and students told reporters they no longer view U.S. jobs as essential as multinational firms elevate strategic work at Indian global capability centers and startups gain traction.
- Data points to shifting intentions, including a roughly 14% drop in Indian applications to U.S. colleges and expert disagreement over whether the U.S. faces broad shortages or only a scarcity of top-tier specialists.