Amid ongoing trade tensions and immigration woes, US President Donald Trump has delivered another blow to Indians which could potentially have an adverse impact on the IT workforce who dream of pursuing a lucrative job career in the United States of America through H-1B visa.

As per reports, Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will hike the fee for H-1B visas to a staggering $ 1,00,000 annually. This means companies hiring Indian professionals will need to bear around 88 Lakh rupees every year per person and the prohibitive price is likely to have a far reaching effect on the overall immigration policy and the country’s tech industry which recruits its workforce majorly from foreign countries like India.

The sweeping move could deliver a body blow to India’s IT sector and Silicon Valley’s hiring model. It appears to be direct attack which is aimed at safeguarding American workers and also forcing the tech giants to recruit only extremely talented IT professionals under H-1B category.

White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the H-1B non immigrant visa programme is one of the most abused visa systems in the country’s current immigration system and it is supposed to allow only highly skilled workers who work in fields that Americans don’t work in.

Since taking charge in January this year, Trump has launched a crackdown on the immigration policy of the country to prevent illegal work permits and overstayal in US after expiry of Visas. But, the latest decision imposition of immoderate fees for H-1B is likely to have a significant impact than any other decision taken by him so far.

The H-1B visa is one of the most sought after visas in USA. Especially, Indians view this visa as a pathway to settle there with high paying salaries. After completing Masters on F1 Visa, students secure jobs and then apply for H-1B to ensure they stay back in USA. As per stats, India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved visas..