Sridhar Babu slams Centre over H-1B visa fee hike

NTPC Ramagundam organized a mega health camp in Rompikunta under the National Health Mission programme, Swasth Nari Sashakt Pariwar Abhiyan. Female specialists conducted screenings for anemia, diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, and refractive errors for 135 patients

Hyderabad: Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Saturday expressed concern that the United States’ decision to sharply increase H-1B visa fees would have a serious impact on India’s economy, particularly Telangana.

At a press conference here, the Minister said that 72 to 73 per cent of H-1B visa holders were Indians and the proposed fee hike of up to USD 100,000 annually would disproportionately affect Indian professionals.

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“In FY 2024–25, India received USD 135.46 billion in remittances, of which 27.7 per cent came from the US. With the fee increase, remittance inflows will decline, directly impacting our foreign exchange reserves. Telangana alone accounts for 8.1 per cent of India’s total remittances, ranking fourth in the country,” he said.

Sridhar Babu criticised the Centre for not intervening or seeking exemptions for existing H-1B visa holders. “The US earlier imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods and now it has decided to hike H-1B visa fees. Despite these setbacks to India’s economic interests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to remain silent,” he charged.

Calling for immediate diplomatic engagement, the Minister urged the Centre to secure temporary exemptions for current H-1B visa holders, create provisions to safeguard Indian IT professionals, and protect families dependent on overseas remittances. “The State Government will write to the Centre, demanding urgent action on behalf of our people,” he added.