STUDENTS CHEER: The timing is significant, as the U.S. government — under the Donald Trump administration — has recently imposed a hefty US$ 100,000 fee for new H‑1B visa petitions from September 21, 2025, prompting anxiety among Indian students
| Photo Credit:
SANDEEP SAXENA/THE HINDU
A US-based artificial intelligence recruitment firm has created a buzz around IIT-Delhi after a social media post about its bold hoardings on H1-B visa sponsorship went viral on social media.
The hoardings have lines like “We still sponsor H-one-Bs” and “One hundred thousand dollars isn’t going to stop us from hiring the best”.
The campaign has grabbed attention because it comes at a time when students are worried about stricter US visa norms, including a big jump in fees for new applications for H1-B visas, which allows US employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in occupations that require specialised knowledge.
Mixed emotions on campus
Many fear stricter visa norms may reduce foreign hiring and make global opportunities harder to grab.
However, for many students in the middle of a hectic placement season, the hoardings seem to have struck a chord.
Rohan Gupta, a BTech student at IIT-Delhi, said the ads felt encouraging.
“I saw the post on social media… It was very good marketing. It gave us an assurance that companies still believe in Indian students, even if visa rules become stricter,” Gupta told PTI.
Another student from the institute, Priya, said the viral post shows how much Indian talent is valued abroad.
“People everywhere know how strong Indian students are when it comes to tech and AI. So, seeing a company openly say it will keep sponsoring visas really feels comforting,” she said.
For those from middle-class or lower-middle-class families, the fear of missing out on global exposure due to high visa fees is real, the students claimed.
Arjun, a BTech student at ITT-Delhi, said overseas opportunities offer a kind of learning that is hard to match.
“We want to work in India for sure. But the exposure one gets abroad, in a diverse and fast-moving environment, is different. Strict visa rules are a big setback. So companies offering sponsorship is a huge thing for us,” he said.
Another student, reacting to the overall mood on campus, said the viral hoarding has added to the emotions of placement time.
“It is placement season, so there is a mix of fear and excitement,” the student said.
What changed in 2025
The Donald Trump administration has launched a massive crackdown to check ‘abuse’ of the H-1B visa programme, which is used by companies, particularly technology firms, to employ foreign workers in the US.
Indian professionals, including technology workers and physicians, are among the largest cohort of H-1B visa holders.
In September, US President Trump issued a proclamation titled ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers’ as an important initial step to reform the H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme.
Under the proclamation, certain H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, must be accompanied by an additional USD 100,000 fee as a condition of eligibility.
Published on December 3, 2025
