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The Indian Institute of Technology - Madras (IIT-M) Director V Kamakoti has described the steep hike in US H-1B visa fees as a "blessing in disguise," despite widespread concern among Indian students and professionals. Kamakoti argued that the policy change could encourage young talent to stay in India, potentially strengthening the country's research and innovation ecosystem.
Speaking to Asian News International (ANI), Kamakoti said, "I see this as a blessing in disguise and we must thank President Trump for it. The impact is two-fold—one, the students who go from here with an aspiration to work there might not go now, and as a director of IIT-Madras, I am happy that they will continue in India.”
On September 19, 2025, the US administration announced a dramatic increase in the annual H-1B visa fee to USD 100,000, a move aimed at prioritising top-tier, high-salary roles. This change is expected to reshape opportunities for Indian professionals, particularly early-career workers, and alter how IT companies manage their US workforce.
However, Kamakoti pointed out that in the last five years, only about 5% of IIT-M’s graduates went abroad. “The craze for going to the US is gone here,” he said, adding that this is the right time for students to contribute to India’s growing research environment.
“America is not the only country that people aspire to go to. Today the European Union and other places, including Singapore, offer a lot of opportunities. I always remember COVID; if we had waited for the vaccine, we would have closed the country. We did it, because necessity is the mother of invention. I think when there is a need, we will respond to it. We as a country will take this challenge and will go technically stronger," he further said.