29/09/25
The Price of Belonging
To supplement something usually means to add or improve. Yet in the immigration lexicon, “supplemental” now carries a whole new meaning. The U.S. President’s recent proclamation introduces a $100,000 supplemental fee on all new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, placing a steep price on a visa long seen as a pathway to opportunity. As cliche as the cost of opportunity is, the magnitude of the fee amount outweighs the very motivation of aspirations.
Who is affected by the 2025 H1B visa rule change?
The H-1B has traditionally drawn engineers, scientists, and other professionals who view cross-border work as a bridge to permanence. But what happens when that bridge comes with a six-figure toll, blurring the line between ambition and loans?
The idea is not entirely new. A version of this proposal surfaced under the Trump administration and has now only been finalized: a flat $100,000 one-time fee per petition, due at the filing of the H-1B visa. It applies only to new petitions and not renewals, transfers, or already approved visas.
How will things change for NRIs and aspirational Indians?
One can’t help but wonder, now that we have a price of one border, maybe other borders can price theirs appropriately with a “benchmark” that is paved by the US. Well, maybe that could be the birth of a new index to supplement S&P and NASDAQ. We name the index of border valuations as Immig10. The volatility and demand of a border shall be measured by the number of aspirants breaking the law to enter that particular border. And conveniently the focus shifts from cost of staying to the price of entry.
The impact is already visible. Canada, the UK, and Germany are positioning themselves as more predictable and welcoming alternatives, targeting the same pool of skilled professionals now priced out of the U.S.
This is probably more than just a fee. It is a signal of uncertainty in immigration policy, a reminder that permanence can be provisional, and that talent will shift borders when barriers rise.
With speculation that certain groups, such as doctors, may be exempt, the debate sharpens: what is the real price of belonging? The world has no shortage of dreamers but the question is, where will they take their dreams now?