A $70,000 fee for OPT/STEM‑OPT applicants was announced by the Trump administration in May 2024, adding to a series of measures that have already increased the cost of the H‑1B pathway. The fee would apply to students who graduate from U.S. universities and wish to stay on to work, a group that has historically been a major source of Indian talent.
USCIS approved 406,348 H‑1B petitions last fiscal year; 283,772 of those were for Indian nationals, a share that has hovered around 70% for the past five years. Computer‑related roles topped the list with 252,088 approvals, making up 62% of all petitions. The median annual wage for all beneficiaries was $133,000, with computer‑specific roles averaging $140,000.
Rajiv Dabhadkar, founder of the National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals, warned that the fee is part of a broader shift toward tighter scrutiny of the employment chain. "The government is looking not just at the worker but at the employer, the wage, and the recruitment process," he told TOI. "This can leave American workers vulnerable while squeezing out early‑career specialists."
Akhil Chandna, partner at Grant Thornton Bharat, added that the wage‑weighted lottery and flat‑fee proposals disproportionately hit lower‑level staff. "Senior, highly paid engineers are insulated, but the volume‑based staffing model that feeds early‑career roles is under pressure," he said. The policy is expected to cut early‑career Indian hires by roughly 30%.
The measure is slated for a congressional hearing in June, where lawmakers will debate whether the fee undermines the U.S. tech industry's competitiveness. A typical Indian H‑1B holder—a software developer from Bangalore—has already postponed plans to apply, fearing the fee could become a financial barrier.