The US-India relationship has never been about transactions. It has been about compounding trust built through people, trade, and shared values. That is why the Trump administration’s tariffs on Indian exports to the US and the imposition of a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas matter more than their price tags. One targets products, the other people, but both stem from the same narrative that the Indo-US relationship is “one-sided”.

Together, they threaten to turn what has been one of the world’s most promising partnerships into a ledger of grievances. For India, which sends both the largest pool of H-1B applicants and one of America’s fastest-growing export markets, these moves carry disproportionate weight. For the US, which depends on Indian talent and markets alike, they risk undermining its own strategic advantage.

Indians accounted for 71% of H-1B approvals last year, and over 331,000 Indian students are enrolled in US universities, many hoping to make the leap from classrooms to companies. A $100,000 fee at the entry point is not reform but a toll on ambition. The arithmetic is punishing: With median H-1B wages around $108,000, adding the new toll raises first-year hiring costs by 77%. Startups, labs, and smaller firms cannot absorb this the way large incumbents can. The result is a bias against innovation and a push for talent to seek friendlier destinations such as Canada, the UK, or Germany.

Beyond economics,........

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