The United States Congress on Wednesday doubled the fees for the H-1B and L-1 work visas. The H-1B visas will cost $4,000, up from $2,000, while L-1 will cost $4,500. The hike is for a period of 10 years, although earlier provisions for hikes in visa fees were for five years. According to the new spending bill passed on Wednesday, the hiked fee would be applicable to companies with a minimum of 50 employees, with half of them on H-1B or L-1 visas.
The non-immigrant visa is used heavily by Indian firms operating in the US. The move to hike the fee is likely to not go down well with the Indian IT industry, along with other industries that send skilled workers to the US. The hike is reported to raise between $1.4 to $1.6 billion for the US every year. Legislation in the US said the extra money will be for improved biometric services and to fund a 9/11 healthcare programme, PTI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised his concern over the matter with US President Barack Obama on Wednesday. The hike would be applicable only to Indian firms working in the US, according to PTI.
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