'Proud NRIs to poor Indians with Rs 50 lakh loan': Trump’s H-1B fee jolts Telugu tech grads

Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee has set off a financial and emotional crisis for thousands of Indian tech students in the U.S. With ₹50 lakh loans and job offers evaporating, the policy hits hardest in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, states that send the largest number of STEM graduates abroad.

“So the USA indirectly banned H-1B visas,” a Telugu coder posted on X. “In 1 day, many lives changed from proud NRIs to poor Indians with ₹50 lakhs loan.” The post quickly went viral, capturing the dread now sweeping Indian student circles from Hyderabad to Houston.

The proposed fee, announced Friday, would require U.S. companies to pay $100,000 annually per H-1B worker. It doesn’t formally ban the visa—but it prices out most employers, especially startups and mid-tier tech firms that typically hire OPT graduates.

Indian students on F-1 visas, especially in STEM fields, use Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work for up to three years after graduation—often as a pathway to H-1B sponsorship. Now, that bridge is collapsing.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana account for more than 25% of India’s MS applicants to the U.S. Education costs often range between ₹40–₹50 lakhs ($48,000–$60,000), funded through loans, family savings, or mortgaged property. Some banks lend up to ₹1.5 crore ($180,000), betting on future U.S. salaries.

“Families sold ancestral property believing in the American Dream,” another user wrote. “Now they face losing everything.”

Internal memos from Microsoft and JPMorgan advised H-1B employees abroad to return before the rule takes effect this weekend. Recruiters are stalling. Offers are being pulled. Students days away from graduating now face a devastating dilemma: leave the U.S. jobless, or stay and risk deeper debt.