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Tuesday,11-November-2025
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US clarifies $100,000 H-1B visa fee, exempts current holders

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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.

Business

Tomato Prices In Mumbai Surge – Know What Are The Current Rates

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Navi Mumbai: The APMC wholesale vegetable market saw an increase in tomato prices by over 30 percent in first week of November as compared to the prices in October 2025. According to the report, prices of tomatoes in October were sold in APMC at Rs 16 -20 per kg and have now increased to Rs 20-28 per Kg.

The supply of tomatoes have also reduced on Monday, as report by Loksatta stated that only 2238 quintals of tomatoes arrived in the APMC Market.

According to the report, traders said that cold weather and imbalance production of tomatoes led to the increase in price, adding that in the last few days, the supply of goods from Nashik, Pune and Nagar areas also reduced.

According to the report, farmers have cautioned about crop damage caused by unseasonal rainfall and the current cold weather, stating that there is a significant chance that the produced crop’s flowers and buds will fall.

Several other reports added that the price of green peas, cluster beans have also gone up. Price of green peas increased to Rs 280 per kg, cluster beans reached Rs 200 per kg while that of Tinda (Indian round gourd) have rised to Rs 50 for 250 grams.

According to Regional Meteorological Center,Mumbai, the climate in Pune, Nashik is expected to see dry climate till November 15. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai scientist Shubhangi Bhute added that, “there are no signs of unseasonal rainfall currently. With the northeasterly winds prevailing, the temperature will drop. The weather will be dry and skies will be clear.”

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Sensex, Nifty open lower amid mixed global cues

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Mumbai, Nov 11: The Indian benchmark indices opened mildly in red on Tuesday, amid progress on the US shutdown bill and optimism regarding an India-US trade deal soon.

As of 9.25 am, the Sensex was down 177 points, or 0.21 per cent at 85,338 and the Nifty inched down 51 points, or 0.20 per cent to 25,523.

The broadcap indices performed better than benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 down only 0.09 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 losing 0.06 per cent.

TCS, Tech Mahindra and Dr Reddy’s Labs were among the major gainers in the Nifty Pack, while losers included Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Shriram Finance and Asian Paints.

Sectoral indices were trading mixed with most of them trading with mild negative bias. Nifty IT was the standout gainer up 0.31 per cent, while financial services, FMCG, Pharma and PSU Bank down 0.71 per cent, 0.49 per cent, 0.16 per cent and 0.57 per cent respectively.

“Nasdaq bounced back 2.2 per cent after the AI trade was weak last week. The return from AI stocks may take longer than expected, but there is no bubble in AI stocks, unlike the Tech bubble that crashed in 2000,” said market watchers.

They noted that Nasdaq PE was above 70 and many tech stocks were above 150 in March 2000, and AI stock PE valuations now range from 28 to 51, while Nasdaq’s PE is 32.

Most of the Asia-Pacific markets rose in early trading sessions on Tuesday tracking Wall Street gains on revived optimism regarding artificial intelligence stocks.

The US markets ended in the green zone overnight, as Nasdaq jumped 2.27 per cent, the S&P 500 added 1.54 per cent, and the Dow inched up 0.81 per cent.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index lost 0.46 per cent, and Shenzhen dipped 0.67 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei added 0.43 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index eased 0.29 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.38 per cent.

On Monday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 4,889 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,787 crore.

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Jharkhand: Robbery and firing on trader sparks shutdown in Dhanbad market

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Dhanbad, Nov 10: Traders on Monday launched a massive protest after a businessman was robbed and shot at inside the government-run Market Committee complex in the Barwadda police station area in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, late Sunday evening.

The incident has caused concerns over rising crime in Jharkhand’s coal capital, prompting traders to shut all 417 shops in the market complex for the day.

The attack took place around 8.30 p.m. on Sunday when three bike-borne assailants intercepted trader Shyam Bhimsariya while he was closing his shop.

The miscreants fired at him, snatched a bag containing Rs 4 lakh, and sped off. Bhimsariya narrowly escaped the bullet, which reportedly grazed past him. The incident created panic among shopkeepers and customers, many of whom rushed to safety.

On Monday morning, hundreds of traders assembled at the main gate of the Market Committee complex, raising slogans against the administration and demanding immediate arrests. They alleged that the market, which witnesses a heavy footfall, has long been operating without proper security measures.

The Market Committee complex is one of the busiest business hubs in Dhanbad, recording a daily turnover of Rs 7-8 crore.

“We will not tolerate this kind of atmosphere where traders fear for their lives every evening,” a member of the traders’ association said, adding that if the culprits are not arrested within 48 hours, the protest may spread to other markets across the district.

BJP MP Dhullu Mahto, addressing traders, said criminals are “roaming fearlessly” in Dhanbad. “The morale of criminals has gone up due to weak policing. The police must act immediately to restore confidence among traders,” he said.

Jharia Congress MLA Ragini Singh accused the state government of complete failure on the law and order front. “When crime is discussed in the Assembly, the government remains silent. People are living in fear while criminals are dictating terms,” she remarked.

Outgoing Mayor Chandrashekhar Agarwal demanded urgent security measures in the market area, suggesting that CCTV cameras be installed. He said a permanent police post must be established to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

Dhanbad District Chamber of Commerce president Chetan Goenka strongly condemned the attack and criticised authorities for ignoring repeated requests for better security.

“It is shocking that a market with a daily business of Rs 7-8 crore has neither CCTV surveillance nor police patrolling. Traders cannot operate under fear. The administration must take permanent measures,” Goenka said.

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