Strongly responding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s proposal to fix the H-1B visa fee at $103,265 for new applicants, the technology industry body NASSCOM on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) emphasised that the H-1B visa programme has long served an important purpose in addressing short-term skill gaps in the U.S.

The new $103,265 H-1B executive rule was a proposed U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulation in which the public has 30 days to comment, and according to the U.S administration, the fee would recover immigration-system costs and encourage employers to hire and train American workers instead of relying on foreign labour, NASSCOM stated.

However, the apex body also said, “It is also important to recognise that, over the past 5 years, the number of H-1B employees of Indian technology companies operating has reduced significantly, as companies have steadily expanded local hiring.’’

NASSCOM further maintained that the industry has also spent more than $1.1 billion on strengthening the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) pipeline in the U.S., working with more than 130 universities and colleges in the US impacting 2.9 million students and upskilling more than 255,000 employees.

“A proposed increase in visa fees must therefore be viewed in the context of the programme’s original purpose of enabling access to temporary skills where there is a shortage in the U.S.,’’ NASSCOM reminded the administration while promising that the industry body would remain actively engaged with all key stakeholders on this matter.