On the 19th , US President Trump signed an executive order to significantly increase the application fee for H-1B visas from approximately US$1,000 to US$100,000, claiming that it was to "protect American workers", but this immediately caused a major shock in the global technology industry.
The H-1B, a work visa specifically designed to bring in highly skilled foreign workers, has long been considered crucial to America's innovation engine. However, this policy shift has not only skyrocketed the cost of hiring foreign workers for businesses but also sparked a heated discussion on Platform X (formerly Twitter), with millions of views.
While supporters of American jobs are celebrating victory, the Indian tech community is deeply concerned. This storm not only impacts US-India economic and trade relations but also has the potential to reshape the global talent landscape. We'll explore the general American sentiment surrounding this policy through discussions on X.
Trump: American workers first, Silicon Valley will be "de-Indianized"
US President Trump is fulfilling his "America First" campaign promise. According to an official White House announcement, this order not only raises the H-1B visa sponsorship fee to $100,000 per person per year, but also directs the Secretary of Labor to revise relevant wage regulations, making it more difficult for companies to replace domestic employees with low-wage foreign workers.
Trump emphasized at the White House signing ceremony: "This is to ensure that Americans no longer lose their jobs to cheap foreign workers and to allow businesses to truly invest in local talent."
The visa policy triggered a swift reaction in financial markets, particularly in the technology sector. Shares of Indian IT giants such as Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services plunged more than 5% on the New York Stock Exchange, reflecting investor concerns about supply chain disruptions.
About 70% of H-1B visa holders are from India . They are the main force of Silicon Valley's engineering army and contribute to the innovative momentum of the US technology industry.
Community Organization
On the X platform, the news spread like wildfire, accumulating millions of views and tens of thousands of interactions in just 24 hours, becoming the hottest economic topic of the week.
Supporters
Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh)'s explosive post was the fuse. He used a video to report: "Trump signed a bill to increase H-1B fees from $1,000 to $100,000. This is a huge victory for American workers!" This triggered the first round of discussion and support messages.
Supporters like JoeEngineer (@Joemengineer) replied: "I waited 30 years for the company's lies about H-1B to be exposed. Thank you!" This reflects the long-standing dissatisfaction of many American IT practitioners, who complain that foreign workers lower wages and cause local engineers to lose their jobs.
Another user, Will (@aX_Will_aX), shared his personal experience: " I've been in the IT field for 25 years and have seen hundreds of people train their foreign replacements and then lose their jobs. It's disgusting." Such voices emerged in the discussion thread, showing the community resonance of grassroots workers.
Autism Capital (@AutismCapital), which frequently posts about cryptocurrency, received 15,000 likes for its tweet explaining the situation. He humorously explained, "Companies can no longer abuse cheap labor. This is a mandate to hire Americans!"
Barefoot Student (@BarefootStudent) approached the issue from the perspective of the younger generation: "The H-1B used to demoralize American college students, but this is a big win for young people!" He emphasized that the policy could boost local education investment and solve young people's employment problems.
Opposition
However, opposition is equally strong, especially from the technology industry and the Indian community.
MrSV (@AaVa161)'s reply directly pointed out the policy blind spot: "Who is this a huge victory for? American companies will pay an extra $100,000, innovation will slow, and talent will flow out. This is not protecting workers, but a patriotic pretext to destroy the economy." He pointed out that rising corporate costs may lead to shrinking R&D budgets, which will in turn affect the United States' global competitiveness.
The White House official account (@WhiteHouse) retweeted a Bloomberg report, and many Indian users expressed concerns in the comments:
"Modi's good friend Trump has dealt a heavy blow to India's tech industry, destroying tens of thousands of jobs."
This reflects the friendship between US and Indian leaders Trump and Modi, which has become a focus of satire in the social media. Many people also predict that Indian cities such as Bangalore and Hyderabad will become new magnets for technology talent, accelerating the rise of the "Silicon Valley of India."
Financial media outlet Watcher.Guru's tweet extended the discussion to the stock market: "The plunge in technology stocks like Infosys is a wake-up call for the innovation economy," implying that the United States may miss out on innovative productivity from abroad.
From an Indian perspective, former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) warned in a tweet that garnered 13,000 likes: "Trump's $100,000 fee will stifle American innovation but accelerate India's growth. If America shuts down, Bangalore will become the next innovation hub."
The tweet went viral in Indian social media, with Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) taking a more political approach with a sarcastic tweet: "Of course Modi won't say a word of opposition, he'll just accept birthday wishes."
Overall: Most Americans welcome job returns
Calculated by the number of interactions, supporters on the X platform account for about 60%, who see the policy as a victory for ending the abuse of foreign workers; opposition accounts for about 30%, who worry that American innovation will be hindered and that talent will be lost to Europe, China, and India.
From a financial perspective, this policy may boost US wages in the short term, but in the long term, it could lead companies to relocate operations overseas, impacting GDP growth. According to preliminary market data, technology ETFs such as the Invesco QQQ Trust have fallen 2%. Investors should monitor upcoming labor market data and corporate earnings reports.
The Trump administration touted this as the starting point for an "economic revitalization," a key labor tactic used during Trump's campaign, but no one anticipated such a drastic approach to its implementation. The full impact of this initiative may take years to unfold.
