A few months ago, I shared a late-night WhatsApp conversation with one of my friends, an Indian software engineer, on an H-1B visa. He had left his family in India to build algorithms that power our daily lives – from the apps that navigate our commutes to the AI. “America gave me wings to fly and I am satisfied and happy here," he said. But now, with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, could deal a major blow to people like my Indian software engineer friend and some US industries that rely on skilled foreign workers. This is not just about visas, it is about the lifeblood of innovation in a world where talent knows no borders.

Trump has defended the move as a measure to protect American jobs, but it hits a great blow to the US tech industry, which relies heavily on workers from India and China. With 71 per cent of all H-1B visas granted last year, India benefited the most from these visas. This fee, critics argue, could deter applicants and strain bilateral ties, prompting a swift rebuke from India’s external affairs ministry over its “humanitarian consequences".

If the United States creates disincentives to attract the world’s smartest talent to........

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