Washington, Oct 21: In a major relief for foreign workers on H-1B visas, the US Department of Homeland Security has issued new guidance on the $100,000 application fee, providing a series of exemptions and carveouts.

US clarifies $100,000 H-1B visa fee, exempts current visa holders

According to the new guidelines, workers who switch to H-1B visa status from other visa categories such as F-1 student status won’t be subjected to the $100,000 fee.

H-1B workers applying for an amendment, change of status, or extension of stay within the United States won’t be subjected to the hefty payment. Moreover, all the current H-1B visa holders won’t be prevented from entering or leaving the United States.

The proclamation only applies to new visa petitions who are outside the US and do not have a valid H-1B visa. It also provided an online payment link for new applications.

The clarification comes just two days after US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s biggest business organisation, sued the Trump administration over the new rules, calling it “unlawful.”

In a lawsuit filed in the district court in Washington on Thursday, the plaintiff argued that the visa fee, if implemented, will “inflict significant harm on American businesses” and force them to “either dramatically increase their labour costs or hire fewer highly skilled employees for whom domestic replacements are not readily available.”

It added that Trump’s September 19 proclamation was “plainly unlawful” and a “boon to America’s economic rivals.”

It was the second major domestic legal challenge to new H-1B rules, after a group of unions, education professionals and religious bodies sued the Trump administration on October 3.

While signing the proclamation in September, Trump had said the “incentive is to hire American workers.”

The proclamation caused immense confusion as it seemed to suggest that it would impact the current H-1B visa holders who may face hurdles in returning to the United States.

The White House issued a clarification to media on September 20, saying that this is a “one-time fee” that applies only to new visas and not renewals or current visa holders.

India-born workers received over 70% of the total approved H1-B visas in 2024, primarily due to a huge backlog in approvals and high number of skilled immigrants from India.

Palestine’s Ambassador to India, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, met members of pro-Palestinian groups at a meeting organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Parel on Sunday.

Shawesh said the Palestinian administration supported ongoing efforts to bring peace to Gaza and did not endorse the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians. He also offered a historical perspective, rejecting Israel’s claim that the land historically belonged solely to Jews, and clarified that the Palestinian struggle was not religious but territorial, involving multiple communities including Christians and Jews.

Zeenat Shaukat Ali, director general of the Wisdom Foundation, attended the event, where the envoy highlighted India’s long-standing support for Palestinian rights since the time of Mahatma Gandhi. He mentioned that India has pledged to construct a hospital in Gaza once rebuilding begins.

On Monday, Shawesh posted on ‘X’ about his Mumbai engagements, thanking CPI leaders, AITUC members, and hosts for their solidarity and commitment to Palestine. He also praised India’s Ministry of External Affairs for being available to the Palestinian mission around the clock.

Wellington, Oct 20: New Zealand’s annual inflation reached 3 per cent till the September 2025 quarter, following a 2.7-per cent increase in the year till the June 2025 quarter, Stats NZ reported Monday.

This met the upper limit of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s 1-3 per cent target band for the annual inflation rate, according to a statement of the Statistics Department, Xinhua News Agency reported.

“The 3.0 per cent annual inflation rate in the September 2025 quarter is the highest since the June 2024 quarter, when it was 3.3 per cent,” Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.

The largest contributors to the annual inflation rate were all in the housing and household utilities group, led by power, rent, and local authority rates, with the top three contributors making up around 17 per cent of the weight in the basket of New Zealand’s consumer price index, Stats NZ said.

Electricity prices jumped 11.3 per cent over the year, the largest annual gain since the March 1989 quarter when they rose 12.8 per cent, statistics show.

“Annual electricity increases are at their highest since the late 1980s, when there were several major reforms in the electricity market,” Growden said.

Prices fell over the year for pharmaceuticals, telecoms equipment, and petrol, helping offset some cost pressures, Stats NZ said.

On a quarterly basis, consumer prices rose 1 per cent in the September 2025 quarter, compared with the June 2025 quarter, driven largely by higher local authority rates and a 12.2-per cent increase in vegetable prices due to seasonal factors, it said.

Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop said expectations are for inflation to drop towards 2 per cent in the first half of 2026, easing pressure on households and businesses.

On October 16, Stats NZ reported that food prices in New Zealand rose 4.1 per cent in the 12 months to September 2025, marking the smallest annual increase since April this year.

The grocery food group contributed most to the rise, up 3.9 per cent annually, according to the Statistics Department statement.

Key staples saw significant annual price hikes: white bread increased 49.6 per cent; cheese rose 31.4 per cent; butter climbed 28.9 per cent; and milk was up 15.1 per cent, Stats NZ said.

Vegetables also increased by 5.2 per cent annually, with cabbage nearly doubling in price from September 2024 to September 2025, the highest in nearly three years, and lettuce was up 55 per cent, it said.

“All five food groups continue to grow annually, but the rate of increase for overall food prices has slowed this month,” Growden said.

However, monthly food prices fell 0.4 per cent in September compared with August, driven by price drops in vegetables and chocolate, marking the first monthly decline since February 2025, statistics show.