By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

White House says $1,00,000 H-1B visa fee to be one-time payment

The White House issued a major clarification Saturday (September 20, 2025) to its new H-1B visa policy that had rattled the tech industry, saying a $100,000 fee will be a “one-time” payment imposed only on new applicants. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in announcing the major fee increase on Friday (September 19), said it would be paid annually and would apply to people seeking a new visa as well as renewals.

Trump’s $100K H-1B fee spares current visa holders, hits new cases

The White House said that President Donald Trump’s new $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications will apply only to new cases, not to existing holders reentering the United States. The clarification, conveyed to 5WH by a senior administration official, came after the order sparked panic among current H-1B workers worried they would be forced to pay to return. News of the proclamation set off a scramble across the Indian H-1B community, with workers rushing to airports in hopes of getting back into the United States before the measure took effect. Immigration lawyers reported a surge of frantic calls from clients fearing they would be locked out or saddled with the hefty new levy, underscoring the uncertainty that followed the announcement.

H-1B visa fee hike: Visa order triggers surge in last-minute flight bookings to U.S.

Travel agents observed a surge in last-minute flight bookings to the U.S. on Saturday (September 20, 2025), following the Trump administration’s announcement of a $100,000 annual fee for H-1B work visas. However, Air India said there is no noticeable trend as yet. Reports said that several tech giants such as Microsoft, JPMorgan and Amazon responded to the announcement — which will come into effect on Sunday (September 21, 2025) — by advising H-1B visa-holding employees who are outside the U.S. to return before midnight on Saturday, and others to remain in the U.S..

Bengaluru techies, tech firms jittery as Trump announces massive H1-B visa fee hike

U.S. President Donald Trump’s proclamation to raise H-1B visa fees to $100,000 annually on Friday came as a rude shock to a techie couple from Bengaluru, now based in California, one employed with an American company and the other with an Indian company. “Will our companies cough up so much year after year to retain us in the U.S.? Can we pay this money ourselves? No way,” said the apprehensive woman techie, who did nto wish to be named. “Life has been really tough since January. We have been living under uncertainty and fear already. We don’t feel we are in America anymore.”

Reforms have transformed bureaucracy, says PM’s Principal Secretary P.K. Mishra

Technical skill alone is not sufficient, and a student should have the qualities of attitude, teamwork, openness, mutual respect, humility, ethics, transparency, and objectivity to succeed both in career and life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary P. K. Mishra said. Addressing the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai on Saturday (September 20, 2025), Mr. Mishra said teamwork was probably a much more important than individual brilliance.

MHA calls next round of talks on Ladakh on October 6

Following renewed protests in Ladakh, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has called for the next round of talks with civil society leaders in the Union Territory on October 6. A high-powered committee, led by Minister of State Nityanand Rai, held the last meeting on May 27. The committee is engaged in talks with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) over the demand of the groupings for constitutional safeguards for the region. The two groups demand Statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule (for tribal areas status) of the Constitution.

Soldier killed as anti-terror operation enters second day

One soldier was killed in an ongoing anti-terrorist operation in the upper reaches of Doda-Udhampur belt in the Jammu division on Saturday (September 20, 2025) as the operation to flush out the group of terrorists hiding in a forest area continued for the second day. A spokesperson of the Army’s White Knight Corps, which is coordinating the operation, identified the soldier as Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand. “He made the supreme sacrifice during an ongoing operation at Kanji, Udhampur on the night of September 19-20, 2025,” the spokesperson said.

Prashant Kishor has raised hundreds of crores of rupees through shell companies, alleges Bihar BJP

The BJP’s Bihar unit on Saturday (September 21, 2025) described Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party as “a political startup based on fraud” and accused the former election strategist-turned politician of raising “hundreds of crores of rupees” through “shell companies”. The saffron party’s remark comes a day after Mr. Kishor questioned the academic credentials of senior BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. BJP’s state media in-charge Danish Iqbal accused Mr. Kishor of indirectly helping the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and asked, “Why is his party is still receiving funds from States ruled by INDIA bloc parties which had sought his professional help during elections.”

PM Modi lays foundation for three projects for Chennai and Kamarajar Ports

From coastal protection works at Chennai Port to upgrading firefighting facilities at Kamarajar Port, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone for three crucial port projects in Tamil Nadu from Bhavnagar, Gujarat. At a cost of ₹33 crore, as part of coastal protection work, the existing revetment behind the coastal berth is going to be repaired and strengthened for a length of 850 metres at Chennai Port.

Allahabad HC refuses to quash FIR against singer Neha Singh Rathore over her social media posts

The Allahabad High Court on Friday (September 19, 2025) refused to quash a First Information Report (FIR) lodged against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, who is accused of promoting hatred between communities and endangering the sovereignty and unity of India with her allegedly provocative social media posts on the Pahalgam terror attack.

Israel presses on with Gaza City assault, at least 60 Palestinians killed

Israel’s military kept up its assault on Gaza City and the wider Gaza Strip on Saturday (September 20, 2025), dismantling underground shafts and booby-trapped structures in attacks that killed at least 60 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities. The assault came as 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Britain and Canada, are scheduled to formally recognise an independent Palestinian state on Monday (September 22), ahead of the annual leaders’ gathering at the U.N. General Assembly next week.

Maduro offers to engage in direct talks with Trump envoy Grenell

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro offered to engage in direct talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump days after the first U.S. strike on a boat from the South American country that Mr. Trump says was carrying drug traffickers. In a letter to Mr. Trump that was viewed by Reuters, Mr. Maduro rejected U.S. claims that Venezuela played a big role in drug trafficking, noting that just 5% of drugs produced in Colombia are shipped through Venezuela, of which he said 70% were neutralized and destroyed by Venezuelan authorities.

Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas set to be next BCCI President

Mithun Manhas, a stalwart of domestic cricket, is set to be elected unopposed as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on September 28. The BCCI election is scheduled during its annual general meeting (AGM) at its headquarters on September 28. On Saturday, the first of the two-day window for filing nomination papers, top Indian cricket officials met in New Delhi. The Hindu understands that after consulting some of the top ministers in the government, the BCCI hierarchy zeroed in on Manhas as the consensus candidate.

Asia Cup 2025: Off-field drama adds fuel to India-Pakistan round two

Handshakes, or rather the absence of them, have been in the eye of the storm ever since the denouement of the Group-A clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup last Sunday (September 14, 2025). With the storm far from subsiding, the two arch-rivals will meet again at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 21, 2025).