The newly announced $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas will apply only to fresh petitions and not to existing visa holders or renewals, multiple US officials were quoted as saying late on Saturday.
The development should ease concerns among Indian professionals. Software industry body Nasscom and the Indian government had earlier on Saturday expressed apprehensions about what seemed to be a one-day deadline for the fee.
Many firms had told their H-1B employees outside the US to return immediately, and those in America to not leave the country.
However, a White House official told Axios that the $100,000 fee goes into effect Sunday but will not apply to existing visa holders re-entering the US.
The fee will apply only to new applicants and will first be implemented in the upcoming lottery cycle, the official added.
News agency ANI also put out a tweet quoting an unnamed senior US official as saying that: “Those who are visiting or leaving the country, or visiting India, they don't need to rush back before Sunday or pay the $100,000 fee. $100,000 is only for new and not current existing holders.”
In response to the fee announcement earlier, New Delhi had expressed concern over the impact of the move, as nearly three-fourths of H-1B visas go to Indians.
The Union Ministry of External Affairs had warned it could disrupt families and affect Indian tech professionals and remittances.
The MEA has directed all its missions and posts to assist Indian nationals travelling to the US in the next 24 hours.
In a statement, the MEA official spokesperson said: "The government has seen reports related to the proposed restrictions on the US H1B visa programme. 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 H1B programme."