Trump’s $100,000 Visa Fee Shakes Big Tech and Indian IT Sector

President Donald Trump’s abrupt imposition of a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications has sent shockwaves through global markets. The move directly targets the backbone of America’s tech workforce, with giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google heavily reliant on skilled foreign labor. Amazon alone employs over 14,000 H-1B holders. While the fee applies only to new applicants, the immediate fallout saw tech firms scrambling to advise employees against international travel, fearing visa complications.

India’s $280 billion tech industry bears the brunt of the policy. Outsourcing firms like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys, which depend on H-1B visas to deploy engineers at U.S. clients, face existential pressure. Indian workers account for 70% of H-1B holders, and shares of major IT firms slid more than 3% post-announcement. The visa crackdown forces a reckoning for an industry built on global talent mobility.