The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said that the Donald Trump administration’s order asking companies to pay $100,000 for each H-1B worker visa is likely to have “humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families”.

H-1B visas allow companies in the US to temporarily employ foreign workers for special occupations.

“The government has seen reports related to the proposed restrictions on the US H-1B visa program,” the ministry said. “The full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry, which has already put out an initial analysis clarifying some perceptions related to the H-1B program.”

The ministry added that it hoped the disruptions could be “addressed suitably by the US authorities”.

The order, signed by the United States president on Friday, will come into effect on Sunday and remain valid for 12 months.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said that the amount was an annual fee. As of now, companies pay $215 to register for the H-1B visa lottery, in addition to several filing fees.

About 85,000 new H-1B visas are issued every year.

Over the past few years, Indians have constituted the majority of H-1B visa holders. Indians comprised 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued by the US in the financial year 2022-’23.

In its statement the ministry added that “skilled talent mobility and exchanges” have contributed to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the US and India.

“Policy makers will therefore assess recent steps taking into account mutual benefits, which include strong people-to-people ties between the two countries,” it added.

The Trump administration’s decision is being viewed as a setback to the technology sector in the US that relies heavily on foreign workers, especially from India and China.

Washington has repeatedly said that it was planning changes to the H-1B visa programme, saying that it was “terrible”.

During his first term, Trump had tightened rules on H-1B visas, citing “abuse” and “economic strain”.

In 2016, he had criticised the programme saying that it was a way for companies to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees.

Since taking office in his second term in January, Trump has announced several measures as part of his immigration crackdown.

In August, the Trump administration said that it was reviewing more than 55 million persons who had valid visas for any violations that could lead to deportation.

Other directives include the deportation of undocumented migrants using military aircraft, imposing additional security measures on foreign students applying to American educational institutes and proposed new rules to limit duration of visas for students and journalists.

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