India's economic engine is revving up, but navigating the global headwinds requires sharp strategy. The rupee's recent volatility against the dollar underscores the complexities facing Indian businesses, impacting everything from import-export trade to domestic inflation. This week alone, we've seen significant shifts in the IT sector, with major players announcing restructuring and a renewed focus on AI-driven solutions. Meanwhile, the burgeoning startup ecosystem continues to attract substantial funding, despite a cautious global investor sentiment. The government's recent policy announcements on infrastructure development and digitalization are poised to further shape the business landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs and established corporations alike. Understanding these market dynamics is crucial for success in today's rapidly evolving Indian economy. Stay informed with Abtak.com for the latest insights and analysis on key sectors including finance, manufacturing, and technology – empowering your business decisions in a dynamic market. Explore the complete business news section now to stay ahead of the curve.
An H-1B visa holder shares how employer delays led to loss of status, forced return to India, and financial stress, raising questions on accountability and immigration process gaps. Ajay Kumar Sharma spent 16 years building a career in IT, working with names like Fidelity Investments and Bank of America. For the last three years, he lived and worked in the United States on an H-1B visa with a clean record and a stable trajectory. Then, in early 2026, a single delay, one that was not even in his
New Delhi: Harvard University economist Kenneth Rogoff on Wednesday said the high tariffs on several countries, including India, and the steep H-1B visa fee hike imposed by the Trump administration will hold back the US economic growth. US President Donald Trump's decision to increase the application fee for H-1B visas is expected to impact Indian nationals, who accounted for almost 70 per cent of all such visas issued in the last few years. "The new visa rules were done in a very haphazard manner and not in a very thoughtful way. The visas for high-skilled workers should be given very liber ...Read More >
Mumbai: The rupee depreciated 47 paise to hit an all-time low of 88.75 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, amid sustained outflow of foreign funds on the back of a steep hike in US H-1B visa fee that is expected to give a big blow to Indian IT services exports. Forex traders said the rupee dwindled towards record low levels as market participants analysed the likely repercussions of the new USD 100,000 H-1B visa levy, which could precipitate a slowdown in remittance growth and curtail service exports to the US. Moreover, risk aversion in domestic markets may also pressurise the r ...Read More >
New Delhi: All international students seeking to study in the United States must keep their social media profiles public not just while applying for a visa but also during their entire study course, The Indian Express reported on Sunday. "All student and exchange visitor visa applicants (F, M and J visa classes) are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of personal social media profiles to 'public' in order to facilitate vetting necessary to establish the applicant's admissibility to the United States," the newspaper quoted a US Embassy spokesperson in New Delhi as saying. The spok ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Trump administration's clarification that the high H-1B visa fee does not apply to international students studying in the US on F-1 visa is expected to revive Indian students' interest in pursuing higher education in the US after a slump, experts said. The US has been historically the most favourite international destination for Indian students, but there was a clear dip in sentiments, especially among parents, after the US announced a $100,000 fee for fresh H-1B work visa applications, study abroad consultants said. Monday's clarification that the one-time fee applies only to ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 27: The US Embassy in India has issued a strict warning for all visa applicants regarding social media disclosures on their DS-160 visa application forms. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), the embassy stated, "Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas." All applicants are now required to list every social media username or handle they've used in the last five years -- regardless of whether the accounts are still active. This mandate is part of broader vetting procedures implemented by the US State Department to stren ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) Indian students, tourists, business travellers and those working in technology firms planning to head to the United States may soon have to pay more than double the existing visa fee due to a new 'visa integrity fee' being imposed by the US, according to immigration service consultants. The 'visa integrity fee' finds a mention in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (now an Act) signed by President Donald Trump on July 4. Immigration domain watchers and firms facilitating students for study abroad have been closely watching this bill before Trump signed his package of tax bre ...Read More >
New Delhi: America's H1-B visa has been an important way for foreigners to get work here and people from all over the world try to get this document, especially Indians who go to great lengths to get an H1-B visa in large numbers. According to reports, the Trump administration is going to make big changes in the rules for issuing this visa, which can have a direct impact on Indians. The Trump administration is also considering making the citizenship test stricter. Joseph Edlow, the new director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), said in an interview to the New York Times ...Read More >
New Delhi: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has announced the rollout of its first made-in-India electric vehicle - the e-Vitara SUV - in a major boost to the green segment from its upgraded Gujarat plant, which is now set to become one of the world's largest automotive manufacturing hubs with a projected annual capacity of one million units. Crucially, this facility will serve as Suzuki's global production base for electric vehicles (EVs), exporting to over 100 countries, including advanced markets in Japan and Europe, which is aligned with India's vision of becoming a global aut ...Read More >
New Delhi: The United States has announced sweeping changes to the H-1B visa programme for foreign workers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a proposed "Weighted Selection Process" aimed at prioritising higher-paid and higher-skilled foreign employees. The H-1B lottery for 2027 is set to be drastically different. Employers now face a $100,000 petition fee per worker. The new proposal further changes the visa selection mechanism. The DHS published the proposal, titled 'Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap Subject H-1B Petitions', in ...Read More >
New Delhi: Traffic in central Delhi will be affected on Thursday as the traffic police has issued an advisory due to the Janmashtami and Tazia processions.According to police, the traffic movement in Paharganj is likely to be affected from 1.30pm in view of the shobha yatra for Janmashtami and the Tazia procession.The Janmashtami procession will start from Mandir Shri Banke Bihari Ji in Paharganj's Sangatrasan Bazar and pass through Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Chuna Mandi, Main Bazar, Munja Chowk and Arakashan Road. The Tazia procession will start from Ajmeri Gate and proceed through Pul Paharganj ...Read More >
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards will now be cancelled if the holder is sentenced to at least two years in prison or named in a charge sheet for an offence carrying a punishment of seven years or more, according to a new government notification. The home ministry announced the change through a gazette notification issued under clause (da) of section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955. "An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration shall be liable to get cancelled when a person has been sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years or has been charge-sheeted for an offen ...Read More >
Indian officials are set to request the US to ease access for skilled workers during trade negotiations this week, following President Trump's H-1B visa restrictions. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will address the movement of IT professionals, expanding talks beyond goods to include services.Indian officials will ask US trade negotiators this week to ease access for thousands of skilled workers, a person familiar with the matter said, days after President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement to re ...Read More >
New Delhi, India -- Meghna Gupta* had planned it all - a master's degree by 23, a few years of working in India, and then a move to the United States before she turned 30 to eventually settle there. So, she clocked countless hours at the Hyderabad office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT firm and a driver of the country's emergence as the global outsourcing powerhouse in the sector. She waited to get to the promotion that would mean a stint on California's West Coast. Now, Gupta is 29, and her dreams lie in tatters after US President Donald Trump's administration upended ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a significant war of words amid the US-India tensions on trade and tariffs, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has slammed the H-1B visa program, which is a classification of non-immigrant visa in the United States that allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupation, thereby allowing Indian Information Technology (IT) workers to work in the United States. Here are all the details you need to know on what Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has said on the H-1B visa programme. Terming it a "total scam", Ron DeSantis has claimed that the H-1B visa program allows comp ...Read More >
MUMBAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee ended nearly flat on Wednesday as likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India helped stave off pressure on the local unit amid worries over steep U.S. tariffs and a visa fee hike. The rupee closed at 88.69 against the U.S. dollar, a whisker away from its all-time low of 88.7975 hit on Tuesday. Traders said that the central bank likely intervened across segments such as non-deliverable forwards (NDF), currency futures and the OTC spot market to help support the rupee. The RBI did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The centr ...Read More >
U.S. Embassy India has reminded visa applicants that disclosing all social media handles from the past five years on the DS-160 form is mandatory. Omission may lead to denial. The U.S. Embassy India has issued an important advisory for all who are applying for U.S. visa. The advisory applies to all nonimmigrant visa applicants and requires them to accurately disclose their social media identifiers used within the past five years. Shared via its official handle @USAndIndia on X (formerly Twitter), the notice highlights the mandatory requirement on Form DS-160 and the consequences of omission. ...Read More >
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio met India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, stressing that "India is critically important to the U.S." Jaishankar noted their talks covered bilateral and global issues. The remarks come just after Trump's steep $100,000 H1B visa fee hike, which has caused panic among Indian tech professionals who make up the majority of applicants. ...Read More >
New Delhi: More than 3.5 lakh Indian students are pursuing various educational programmes ranging from primary schooling to university courses in the US as of February 2026, which is a decline of around 6.9 per cent from the corresponding figure the previous year, the Parliament was informed on Thursday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether Indian student enrolments in the US have dropped, and to what extent "scarce visa slots" and "high percentage of rejections of visas" are contributing to it. In a written reply to the query, the Minister of State for External Affairs K ...Read More >
US President Donald Trump's $100,000 fees hike for specific H-1B visa hires has sparked debate among various industry representatives, with many expressing their views on its effects on the US economy. Xavier Fernandes, the founder of the immigration agency Y-Axis, stated that the policy might be more detrimental to the US than beneficial. In an interview with CBS News programme on India's IT sector and H-1B visas, Fernandes said, "It's definitely America's loss. Many CEOs are from Hyderabad. I ...Read More >
India has this year given the green light to 10 semiconductor projects worth about $18 billion in total When Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India's "late entry" into the global semiconductor race, he pinned hopes on pioneers such as Vellayan Subbiah to create a chip innovation hub. The chairman of CG Power, who oversees a newly commissioned semiconductor facility in western India, is seen as one of the early domestic champions of this strategic sector in the world's fastest-growing major ...Read More >
The US Consulate General in Chennai announced on Thursday, October 23, 2025, that it has reopened and restarted visa application processing. Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 were allowed to attend, while those affected by the October 22 closure are being rescheduled and will receive new appointment details.The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US ...Read More >
Hyderabad, India -- The city of Hyderabad has been called the Silicon Valley of India. "Google, Facebook, and all the other bigger companies are here," Rajesh Jaknalli, who has worked for a U.S. tech company in Hyderabad for about 10 years, told CBS News. "This place is actually called High Tech City, but because of the many companies that we have, the term 'Cyberabad' has come," Jaknalli explained. Jaknalli says he has worked here with one goal, to get an opportunity to one day move to the U.S. "Our dream was to perform, give you 100%, and then probably, we'll get a chance to move to the ...Read More >
Chennai: The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US Consulate General Chennai will re-open and restart visa application processing services on Thursday, October 23, 2025. Please note: Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 may come in on that date." It added, "Applicants whose appointments were canceled due to visa service closures on October 22 are currently being rescheduled and will receive a message regarding the new date and time. Every applicant ...Read More >
Indian IT giants Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys are expected to suffer the most severe financial impact from a new United States policy that imposes a $100,000 supplemental fee on certain H-1B visa petitions. The fee, introduced through a presidential proclamation in September this year, applies to new H-1B applications for skilled workers entering the US from abroad, particularly those requiring consular processing. The administration has positioned the measure as a means to curb perceived abuses of the programme, prioritise employment for American citizens, and discourage relia ...Read More >
New Delhi: More than 3.5 lakh Indian students are pursuing various educational programmes ranging from primary schooling to university courses in the US as of February 2026, which is a decline of around 6.9 per cent from the corresponding figure the previous year, the Parliament was informed on Thursday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether Indian student enrolments in the US have dropped, and to what extent "scarce visa slots" and "high percentage of rejections of visas" are contributing to it. In a written reply to the query, the Minister of State for External Affairs, ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - India said on Friday its officials held "constructive" talks with U.S. counterparts during a visit to Washington this week, and both sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at concluding a mutually beneficial trade deal soon. "Both sides exchanged views on possible contours of the deal," the commerce ministry said in a statement. A delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited the U.S. from September 22 to 24 and met U.S. Trade Represent ...Read More >
Hyderabad: A student has been denied a US visa over a Reddit account, and it has led to confusion among applicants from Hyderabad. Following the denial, the student shared the details on his Reddit account, disclosing that he was handed a 221(g) slip. As per the details shared by the applicant, during the F1 visa interview, the officer raised a concern about his Reddit account. At the end of the interview, he was given a 221(g) slip requesting that he make all his social media handles public. Recently, the US State Department has asked applicants to grant access to their public social medi ...Read More >
BENGALURU/HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI - Ms Paridhi Upadhaya was packing her bags after securing a computer science scholarship in the US until headlines of President Donald Trump's H-1B visa crackdown last week prompted her family in Lucknow, India to scrap the plan. "Trump's unending onslaught against immigrants is forcing us to consider other destinations for her," the 18-year-old's father Rudar Pratap said. Ms Upadhaya is among thousands of Indians for whom the American dream of world-class education, lucrative careers, better quality of life and social mobility, is turning sour due to rising US ...Read More >
Mumbai, Sep 24 (PTI) The rupee recovered 2 paise from its all-time closing low to settle at 88.71 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, as steep tariffs and H-1B visa related issues kept the domestic unit under pressure. Forex traders said rupee is hovering near its all-time low level on sustained foreign fund outflows amid investors' risk-aversion and trade policy uncertainty. Moreover, enhanced US tariffs on Indian goods as well as trade policy uncertainty exacerbated the rupee's depreciation. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 88.80 against the US dollar, ...Read More >
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said India is engaged with the United States and other stakeholders over President Donald Trump's new H-1B visa fee regulations for foreign workers. The Trump administration has hiked the yearly H-1B visa fee to a massive USD 100,000 (more than Rs 88 lakh as per today's exchange rate), handing a big blow to foreigners looking to work in America. The move affects Indians a great deal as they make up over 70 percent of H-1B visa holders. What did MEA say on US' H-1B visa move? MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing: "Sk ...Read More >