"They said to pay 140 million won"… packing to study in the U.S. when a 'bolt from the blue'

U.S. professional visa fee increased 100-fold

Indian students change study destinations

China, UK prepare new visa policies

Countries intensify competition to attract talent

Paridi Upadhaya (18), who lives in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh in northern India, recently received a scholarship in computer science and was packing to go study in the United States when she heard an astonishing piece of news. The news was that the U.S. government had raised the fee for the H-1B visa, known as a 'professional visa,' from the existing US$1,000 (about 1.4 million won) to US$100,000 (about 140 million won), a 100-fold increase, effective from the 21st. She had been preparing to study abroad with the expectation that she would receive high-quality education in the U.S. and be able to earn a lot of money by getting a job there, but was struck by a sudden blow.

Upadhaya's father told Reuters on the 25th (local time), "Because of President Donald Trump's endless attacks on immigrants, we have to consider other destinations for our daughter's (study abroad)," he lamented.

An Indian student studying for a master's in computer engineering in Dallas, Texas, U.S., also faced debt of US$80,000 (about 110 million won) and an uncertain future. The student, who asked to remain anonymous out of concern about becoming a target of U.S. immigration authorities, said, "My only goal right now is to finish my degree and find an internship to pay off the debt," and "We will go anywhere — Canada, Europe, or wherever — that truly wants us."

The U.S. H-1B visa is available to professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and only 85,000 are issued annually through a lottery. With this visa, one can stay in the U.S. for a basic period of three years, and can extend the visa for up to three more years or apply for permanent residency.

U.S. tech companies have hired foreign workers on H-1B visas to fill workforce gaps. Last year, 71% of those issued the visa were Indian nationals, followed by Chinese nationals at 11.7%. According to Indian government data, as of 2023, of the 1.3 million international students in the U.S., 465,000 were Indian students, the largest number.

Reuters reported that Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft (MS), and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, both from India, were also beneficiaries of the professional visa, having entered the U.S. as students and risen to top executive positions in Silicon Valley.

However, with the recent sharp increase in H-1B visa fees, Indian students are now looking to other, more immigrant-friendly countries as study destinations instead of the U.S. Piyush Kumar, regional head of global education company IDP Education, said, "Many students and parents (in India) are currently watching the situation," and "the UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand are being considered as alternatives."

In fact, while the U.S. closes its doors to international students, countries including China, the UK, and Germany are taking a more active approach to attract foreign talent. China plans to introduce a new visa to attract talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics starting on the 1st of next month. Holders of this visa will be able to enter China to study and work without being offered a job or a research position.

The UK government is also considering scrapping fees for its own visa similar to the H-1B. Philipp Ackermann, the German ambassador to India, recently mentioned his country's immigration policy on the social network X (formerly Twitter), promoting it as "like a German car" and saying "it is reliable and predictable."

Ahn Hye-won, Hankyung.com reporter anhw@hankyung.com