Increasing of US H-1B, L-1 Visa Charges By 100% Contentious

As you would have thought, the widely covered visa fee augmentations for the H-1B Visa (to $4,000 from $2,000) and the L-1 Visa (to $4,500 from $2,250) have invited a great deal of protests from India and led to some ripples between the official bodies of the involved nations.
 
The said visa fee increase is applicable to firms with over 50 workers--more than half of which happen to be H-1B Visa workers. The same impacts principally Indian owned groups in America. These increases will proffer finances for the 9/11 first responders and present financial support for a biometric entry & exit structure.

Modi Gets Involved But Fails To Make Much Difference

As per a report, sometime back, the incumbent US President had called Narendra Modi to show gratitude for the latter’s helpful part related to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

The Indian PM took the occasion to express his worry related to the planned visa cost boosts and prop-up India’s IT segment. But his involvement did not make much of a difference, and the bill leading to a doubling of numerous H-1B and L-1 visa petitions became law on December 19, last year.

Affected Indian IT Groups Expected to Forward Extra Charges to Customers

The co-founder of the well-known Indian firm, Infosys, N. R. Narayana Murthy, reportedly opines that the doubled visa expenses will not be a particularly worrying subject. He stated that it is not an issue at all. The vital thing is that one has to proffer outstanding value to clients. Meanwhile, a different leading industry figure, reportedly, believes that the affected Indian IT firms will manage the situation via passing on the additional costs to their consumers.

Visa Charge Increase Could be Referred to WTO

Substantial further debate about the visa fee augmentation is probable even as the apex world body, the World Trade Organization (WTO), will be one official organization that could become involved in case India desires mediation.

An India-US Services Working Group is also likely to talk about the issue further, and India's Commerce Ministry is rather keen that the coming round of the India-US Trade Policy Forum yet again includes dialogue about the H-1B & L-1 Visas.

H-1B, L-1 Visa Charge Boost Expected to Cost Roughly $400 Million

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2016 is a huge omnibus bill and consists of an enormously important $1.15 trillion spending and $700 million tax breaks package. Courtesy the increasing of the visa charges, by 100%, the IT groups of India will be hit the most.

As much as 86% of the H-1B Visa holders happen to be Indians even while majority of the firms--which will come under the conditions for the enhanced visa charges--also happen to be firms owned by Indians.