The new $100k visa fee could threaten Indian students’ American dream

Following the decision of the US government to impose a fee of $ 1,00,000 for new H-1B visa applications, the data shows that the Indian students who follow their degrees in the US-especially Indians, who constitute the largest international group of students, will be affected to a significant extent.

Associated Press quoted from the US student visa holders who are trying to secure a H-1B and said that they are now re-evaluating settling in the country. Not only the students in the US, but also many people who want to register and work there in India in India told AP and Reuters that they felt like a door. [is] closing. “

Most experts believe that the new rule will be valid for foreign students for some immigration lawyers in the United States, but pay attention to important gray areas. While the thinner details were still solved, the increase in wage would have an impact on Indian students who exceeded Chinese students to become the largest international group in the United States last year, which made up 80% of foreign students.

The majority of Indian students go to the US for graduate degrees. Those who have graduated in 2022 and who have graduated from immigrant students to work in the United States for 1-3 years will now be in line for an H-1B visa. This will be the students who will be affected by Mr. Trump’s new visa fee, students who have invested tens of thousands of dollars in the country.

The new rule will shoot the graduates with the degree of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), one of the most sought -after areas for employers. Indian students are particularly vulnerable because the majority follow the STEM courses. Among the two largest groups of foreign students in the United States, more than 75% of Indians are registered in STEM areas compared to about 50% of China.

Typically, a STEM student enters the H-1B tail 2-3 years after graduation. Last year, 37% of all H-1B petitions approved for the first (new) employment were opened by foreign students with a F-1 visa in the Category-USA where the new fee was applied. In some previous years, this share exceeded 45% sign.

Although the final share of Indian students on the F-1 visa approved for the first H-1B employment is not directly determined, the other two digits are emphasizing. In MY24, 57% of all the first H-1B beneficiaries were Indians, Chinese citizens are 14% away. This suggests that more than 75% of Indian students in the United States are registered with STEM courses, the H-1B beneficiaries of the first employment from student status to the Hintans.

When Indian students completed their OPTs, they would contribute to the US economy for a few years of education and living costs. Last year, international students spent approximately 44 billion dollars, including training fees, housing, food and more than half of this money in the United States.

A study conducted by Nafsa, who is not a profit of the International Educators Association, found that in 2024, international students spent an average of $ 39,000 in the US, and that the Indians were among the largest international student groups, most of them came from Indian households who received credit or consumption to cover these costs.