One of the most contentious policies of the Trump administration was just announced: a $100,000 fee to apply for an H1B visa. Naturally, the announcement unsettled the Indian diaspora and many prospective Green Card applicants in India, since over 70 per cent of H1B visa holders are Indian, with many of the brightest among them likely contributing to the development of foreign AI systems and large language model companies.

The White House promptly reassured existing H1B visa holders, though, by making it clear that the $100,000 fee would only be charged to new applicants, not to those who already had one. Since then, the action has generated discussion about its possible advantages and disadvantages for national interests, with some applauding it as a step to stop the long-standing “brain drain” phenomenon. While preventing brain drain is directly relevant to the global AI race, retaining domestic talent alone does not fully address India’s AI challenges.

Advertisement

From an objective standpoint, Trump’s decision to significantly raise H1B visa costs will inadvertently slow down the flow of some of India’s most talented individuals to the West, something India has long failed to stop. The large immigration to the United States was driven because of what America could provide but India was unable to –merit recognition, better infrastructure, better education, and cleaner air. The numbers speak for themselves. Consider for instance that at the national level, India’s Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students awards a maximum of 82,000 scholarships annually for graduate and postgraduate studies.

Advertisement

In contrast, the United States awards more than 1.7 million private scholarships and fellowships annually, valued at over $7.4 billion as of........

© The Statesman