In September, a sudden US policy shift shook H-1B visa holders—then came a series of exceptions easing their anxiety. The latest: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ advisory that the draconian $1,00,000 fee introduced last month will not apply to most current visa holders or recent graduates transitioning to H-1B status. The exemption basket includes current H-1B visa holders seeking renewals or extensions, F-1 international students applying for a change of status to H-1B from within the US, L-1 intra-company transferees filing for an H-1B change of status, workers already in the US on valid non-immigrant visas seeking H-1B status, and the 2025-26 H-1B lottery selectees already present in the US. Travel will not affect the status of current H-1B visa holders or those with an approved change-of-status petition. However, the fee applies to petitions filed on or after 12.01 am ET on September 21, 2025, by people outside the US without a valid H-1B visa, or by those requesting consular processing.
Students on F-1 visas typically pursue Optional Practical Training (OPT). Later, they seek H-1B skilled work visas. US government data shows that 4,20,000 Indian students enrolled on F-1/M-1 visas in 2023–24. About 98,000 of them opted for OPT. So, the latest clarification is a big relief for such students. However, even this F-1-OPT-H-1B path is under attack from some senators. They allege that international students are stealing American jobs.
Other pain points include strict social media vetting and shifting policies. Top US universities face a proposal to cap international undergrad enrolment at 15 percent. Institutions were stunned, estimating a loss of 1,50,000 foreign students and $7 billion in revenue this fall if the policy were implemented. For those pursuing the American dream, policy uncertainty is the greatest concern. Meanwhile, how does the drive for American jobs intersect with firms like Amazon? Amazon plans to cut 6,00,000 US jobs and replace them with robots. The company might avoid backlash as a major financier of the White House ballroom.
The paradoxes are easily understood. Blaming foreign workers for job losses rings hollow and weakens that very claim if automation accelerates across industries. Yet in the run-up to the mid-term elections, such rhetoric might play well with MAGA voters—faulting outsiders rather than confronting the larger shifts reshaping work itself.
