Lagatar24 Desk
Chennai: Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has advised Indian professionals in the US on H-1B visas to return home after a steep fee hike announced by President Donald Trump sent shockwaves across the tech industry.
Vembu’s Call for a Bold Move
In a post on X, Vembu compared the current visa crisis to the Partition era, recalling how Sindhi families rebuilt their lives after starting over in India. He urged Indians holding H-1B visas not to live in fear but to take a bold step and come back, even if rebuilding might take several years. Vembu, who once worked in the US before creating Zoho into a global SaaS leader, said India today offers opportunities that didn’t exist in the past.
Impact of the Fee Hike and Reverse Migration
Under the new rules, companies hiring foreign professionals must now pay $100,000 per H-1B application, a dramatic increase from earlier fees. The change has prompted tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta to ask staff to return to the US by September 21, creating uncertainty among Indian workers. Analysts believe the policy could accelerate reverse migration, boosting India’s domestic tech and startup scene as returning talent fuels R&D hubs, capital markets, and the country’s growing digital economy.
