Amid US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal on Saturday warned that the United States risked isolating itself if it continued pursuing anti-immigration policies and imposing tariffs on other countries.

“Looking at their announcements, whether it is imposing tariffs, putting some restrictions, putting people in cuffs and flying them away, they (US) will become alone in the world like this. Yes, they are considered the strongest nation in the world, but looking at the new world order, with WTO, they will stop discrimination, and will support others, a road roller has been put on all those efforts,” Bansal told ANI.

He argued that the H1B visa program had benefited American companies, which themselves sought Indian professionals as specialized workers.

“It is difficult to understand or comment on what is going on in his mind (US President Donald Trump). To this day, the big American companies have called us to work there; they invite us to come and work there. The companies need people for specialised jobs in IT, architecture, engineering, and medicine. If the employer sponsors the skilled labour here, who has studied at least till BA, then the application for an H1B visa is taken,” he said.

“Do they have that much confidence that they will do it themselves? That is beyond my understanding. I think that in the long run it will harm America too, in 6 months, 1 year,” Bansal added.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Manish Tewari also criticised the move, saying the US was “systematically turning on the screws on India” and that such decisions did not bode well for bilateral relations.

“If you look at it in context, the premature ceasefire announcement by the US at the instigation of Pakistan, subsequently, the felicitation and the fetting of the Pakistani Army chief in the White House, followed by the 50% tariffs which have been imposed by the US and even the Saudi-Pakistani defence partnership won’t have happened without the tacit support and blessing of the US. So, in a very systematic manner, for reasons which are inexplicable and un-understandable, the US is deliberately being belligerent towards India, and it does not augur well for India-US relations,” Tewari told ANI.

Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that the entire country is questioning PM Modi. 

“This is not a new development. On 5th July 2017, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted and alerted PM Modi that this was going to happen, and do something. But he was a weak PM back then and even today. You have the result today…Crores of youth of this country are going to face a loss…Trump is insulting us every day. But the PM is silent. Rahul Gandhi gave him an opportunity to speak on the Floor of the House that Trump is a liar. Had he said that, the country would have stood with him. Today, the entire country is questioning the PM,” he said.

The Congress leaders’ outburst comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s new presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers”, imposing a USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications. The measure, effective from September 21, aims to combat what the administration calls widespread abuse of the H-1B programme, particularly by IT outsourcing firms accused of displacing American workers and suppressing wages.

The proclamation argues that the original purpose of H-1B, to bring in highly skilled foreign talent, has been distorted, with the administration claiming that low-wage, entry-level H-1B hires have harmed American graduates and also highlights national security concerns, pointing to investigations into visa fraud and money laundering involving companies that rely heavily on the programme.

As per the order, employers must now provide proof of payment when filing H-1B petitions, with enforcement overseen by the US Departments of State and Homeland Security. Limited exemptions are available for cases deemed in the national interest.

This rise in Visa costs is likely to hit the tech cost arbitrage model where Indian software engineers and other talent were working onsite in the US, but could see the rise of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India.