Kaithal (Haryana) [India], September 21 (ANI): Congress MP Randeep Surjewala on Sunday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government over the H1B visa fee hike by the United States of America (U.S.A.) and asked if there could be a bigger failure than this.

Speaking to the reporters on H-1B visa fee hike, Surjewala said, 'Due to the policies of a weak Prime Minister and a weak government, 85 lakh rupees will be collected from millions of youth of the country for H-1B visas to America...The result of this will be that Indians working in America will be forced to return to India. What could be a bigger failure than this?...'.

Earlier today, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari criticized PM Modi over the recent hike in H-1B visa fees by the United States, and urged him to 'fix foreign policy' and 'speak plainly.'

Speaking to ANI, Pramod Tiwari said, '...Prime Minister Modi has received a return gift. Overall, this is a blow to India's talented people...Prime Minister Modi says we need to increase self-reliance. Who was stopping you for 11 years? Why didn't you increase self-reliance?'

On Saturday, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, attacked PM Modi after US President Donald Trump imposed a USD 100,000 fee for H1B visas.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi referenced his 2017 post, in which he had questioned the PM for not addressing the H1B visa issue with Donald Trump, who was then in his first term as President.

Rahul posted, 'I repeat, India has a weak PM.'

The Congress's outburst comes in response to US President Donald Trump's new presidential proclamation titled 'Restriction on Entry of Certain Non-immigrant Workers', imposing a USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications.

The measure, effective from today, i.e. September 21, aims to combat what the administration calls widespread abuse of the H-1B programme, particularly by IT outsourcing firms accused of displacing American workers and suppressing wages.

US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) made a major overhaul to the H-1B visa programme, imposing a steep USD 100,000 annual fee on new H-1B visa applications.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified that the USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications will only apply to the new applicants and not to the petitions submitted prior to September 21.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed that the USD 100,000 fee on the H-1B visa application is a one-time fee, clarifying the misconception that it is an annual fee.

She also informed that the fee will not be charged on H-1B visa holders who are currently outside of the country. (ANI)