Your two cents on Trump’s $100k H-1B fee and what it means for Hyderabad real estate?:

This H-1B change by Trump is pretty seismic: a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications. Wanted to get your thoughts, especially those of you in Indian tech hubs: Is this going to actually help by encouraging more people to stay/return and grow things here, or will it have the intended effect of America strengthening itself at India’s cost in this push-and-pull game between the two economies?

What’s happening on the ground

• Nasscom is worried. They’re saying this fee hike will mess with Indian IT firms that depend on sending people onsite to the U.S.

• The rollout was brutal. Barely a day’s notice to comply or adjust. Imagine being mid-process and suddenly the whole thing costs $100k.

• Big corporates are scrambling. Microsoft, Amazon, even JPMorgan are apparently telling H-1B employees to rush back or rethink plans.

• Industry bodies are spooked. Warnings about continuity issues, higher costs, delayed projects are already floating around.

• Whereas Amitabh Kant (ex-NITI Aayog CEO) spun it as “India’s gain,” saying it might push talent to stay back and strengthen the local ecosystem.

I have observed the drop in stocks in Indian IT companies looks like people maybe saying that it will benefit India but currently everyone is spectical.

Positives that may happen for india(in long term):

1.) If the U.S. is too expensive and messy, maybe fewer people leave. That could mean Hyderabad/Bangalore holding on to more talent.

2.) Imagine the number of engineers who, instead of chasing an H-1B, put their energy into local startups or scaling product companies here.

3.) If overseas mobility dries up, local firms might be forced to up pay, perks, and overall work culture to retain talent.

4.) GCC increase in India

Downsides

1) This economic war may effect political relations globally.

2) Companies relying on sending people onsite suddenly face huge costs. Expect renegotiations, delays, or just offshoring.

3) Those who wanted exposure in the U.S. might now hit a wall. Could slow down careers for some.

4) Money flow from US reduces

5) Property prices in few areas sky rocket

My take:

Short term, it’s a headache especially for IT service giants with U.S. contracts, and for individuals who had their lives lined up around H-1B.

But long term? I actually see potential. If this forces more of us to stay and build here, Hyderabad and Bangalore could be the real winners. We already have the talent pool, infra, and VC money circling. But government would play a big role in all of it by regulating the terms such as builders not increasing prices that are unjustified, the business if distributed across all areas etc.

The main point is: India has to make it worth staying. Competitive pay, solid infrastructure, decent quality of life. Otherwise, people will just reroute to Canada or Germany instead of sticking around.

Feels like an inflection point. Could go either way depending on how quickly India adapts.