Free Republic

-snip- Foreign workers, starting September 21, can’t enter the U.S. on an H-1B visa unless their employer’s petition (the paperwork requesting the visa) includes an extra $100,000 payment to the federal government. This fee must be renewed and paid annually, according to United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. -snip- Nationally, there are approximately 730,000 active H-1B holders as of early 2025. -snip- Washington currently ranks 4th nationally for H-1B activity. The state, particularly the Seattle metropolitan area, is a major hub for the U.S. tech industry, with companies like Amazon and Microsoft relying heavily on H-1B visas to hire...

The Trump administration is planning to add a $100,000 to the fee for H-1B visa applications, taking aim at a program that is used to attract highly skilled workers to the U.S. The additional fee, which was confirmed to CBS News by a White House official, would impact employers including tech giants such as Amazon, IBM, Microsoft and Google, which have relied on the program to hire foreign workers. President Trump could sign a proclamation adding the new fee as soon as Friday, and which would restrict H-1B workers from entering the U.S. unless accompanied by the $100,000 payment, according...

A new proposal by Senator Jim Banks aims to restructure the H-1B visa system, drastically raising wage requirements and limiting alternatives companies use to hire foreign workers. -snip- The American Tech Workforce Act includes three main reforms. First, it increases the minimum required salary for H-1B visa holders from $60,000 to $150,000, which may disincentivize companies to look abroad for talent. The bill would also eliminate the OPT program, which allows foreign graduates to work in the U.S. for up to three years post-graduation. Thirdly, the bill replaces the current lottery system with a model awarding visas to the highest-bidding...

Beijing called Washington's proposal for the G7 and NATO nations to impose tariffs on China and other nations that purchase Russian oil a "typical act of unilateral bullying" and "economic coercion" on Monday, threatening retaliatory actions if the proposal is implemented. According to PTI, as the US and Chinese delegations reassembled in Spain on Monday for the second day of their discussions on trade and economic matters, China rejected the US drive.​ Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lin Jian stated during a routine news briefing that China's regular energy and economic cooperation with nations worldwide, including Russia, is acceptable, legal, and...

Hours after claiming that the United States has "lost" India to China, US President Donald Trump toned down his rhetoric, saying that ties with New Delhi remained "special" and he continued to share a strong personal bond with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shortly after, PM Modi tweeted that he "appreciates and fully reciprocates" Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of India-US ties. When asked whom he held responsible for "losing India" to China, the US President replied, "I don’t think we have. I have been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And...

THIS is the bizarre moment Vladimir Putin is seen holding hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an "anti-Nato" summit. The inseparable pair were seen giggling and smiling at one another as they met up with Chinese despot Xi Jinping for crunch talks in Tianjin.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin stole the spotlight at the Shanghai Cooperation Council summit in Tianjin with their warm gestures and camaraderie. The two leaders walked together, shared light moments, and exchanged jokes, showcasing a bond that appeared stronger than ever. Modi was seen hugging Putin on the sidelines, a moment that fuelled headlines amid growing Western unease over India’s oil trade with Russia.

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi held hands as they walked side-by-side to greet Xi Jinping at a summit designed to showcase China’s vision for a new world order. The Indian prime minister rode in the back of a car with his Russian counterpart and shared a picture of the pair embracing, saying it was “always a delight to meet President Putin”. Mr Xi, the Chinese president, has used the summit to present his vision for a new global security and economic order in a direct challenge to the United States. “We should advocate for equal and orderly multipolarisation of the...

India's Narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin on Monday that India and Russia stood side by side even in difficult times after the Kremlin chief called the Indian prime minister his "dear friend" and gave him a lift in his armoured limousine. -snip- On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China's port city of Tianjin, Modi held Putin's hand as they walked towards Chinese President Xi Jinping. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

It is a summit designed to challenge the West's historical dominance of the world –hosting the likes of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. On Sunday, China hosted the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, a grand meeting of the leaders of 26 nations, many of them opposed to the US and Europe. Putin and Chinese president Xi, who are closely allied under what they have termed a 'limitless' partnership, also held side talks to discuss the Russian leader's recent meeting with Donald Trump, a Kremlin official said. Xi personally welcomed several leaders, including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi,...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged on Sunday to resolve their border differences and bolster cooperation, ahead of the opening of a regional summit in Tianjin. Modi is on his first visit to China since relations between the two countries deteriorated after Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in deadly border clashes in 2020. Modi is visiting as part of India's membership into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political, economic and security group founded by China. Modi said in his opening remarks that relations with China have moved in "a meaningful direction," adding that "there...

The leaders of China and India say there is now deepening trust between them after years of tension that includes a long-running border dispute. China's President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the port city of Tianjin. It is Modi's first time in China in seven years. Xi told Modi that China and India should be partners, not rivals while Modi said there was now an "atmosphere of peace and stability" between them. President Putin is also at the summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders, but...

Donald Trump has imposed a hefty 50% tariff on Indian goods, a move prompted by India's continued purchase of Russian oil. This action endangers over half of India's exports to its biggest market. According to New Delhi, the tariffs that come into effect today (Wednesday, August 27) will impact £35.8billion ($48.2bn) worth of exports. Initially, the US President announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods. However, earlier this month, he signed an executive order for an additional 25% tariff in response to India's purchases of Russian oil. This brings the total tariffs levied by the United States on its ally...

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting came hours after Mr Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov. It largely focused on expanding the trade ties between the two countries. The meeting comes amid Trump's tariffs and pressure on India to stop buying oil from Russia, claiming that it fuelled the Ukraine war. "We believe that relations between India and Russia have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War," Mr Jaishankar said at a joint media briefing with Mr Lavrov. "Geo-political convergence, leadership...

As External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar prepares for crucial talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, India finds itself at the centre of a diplomatic storm. President Trump has unleashed his most aggressive economic assault on India in recent memory, wielding tariffs and sanctions as weapons to force New Delhi away from its Russian partnerships. The pressure campaign began in August 2025 with sweeping 25% tariffs on Indian exports, later doubled to 50% specifically targeting Russian oil imports. For a nation whose economic planners depend heavily on US markets, this represents a devastating blow. Nearly 70% of India's...

Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India despite warnings from the United States, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China. US President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25 percent on Indian goods exported to the US from August 27, as a punishment for buying Russian oil, which constitutes 35 percent of India’s total imports compared with a negligible 0.2 percent before the Ukraine war. “I want to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday accused India of profiteering from cheap Russian oil imports during the war in Ukraine, describing the practice as "arbitrage" and condemning it as unacceptable. "They are just profiteering. They are reselling," Bessent told CNBC's "Squawk Box" in an interview. "This is what I would call the Indian arbitrage — buying cheap Russian oil, reselling it as product." "They've made $16 billion in excess profits — some of the richest families in India," Bessent said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for the first time in over seven years, a government source said on Wednesday, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the United States rise. Modi will go to China for a summit of the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that begins on Aug. 31, the government source, with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters. India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His trip will come at a time when India's relationship with the U.S. faces its most serious crisis in...

Trump's imposition of additional tariffs is "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable", the Ministry of External Affairs said. Shortly after US President Donald Trump announced an additional 25% tariffs on India on Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement, noting that the country will "take all all actions necessary to protect its national interests." The additional import levies have been slapped by Trump to "penalise" India for its continued purchase of Russian crude oil. The MEA, in its statement, said India's imports are based on market factors and done with the "overall objective of ensuring the energy security of...

President Trump took executive action Wednesday to hammer India with an additional 25% tariff due to its continued purchases of Russian oil. The move, which will take effect Aug. 27, will increase the total US tariff rate on India to 50% and comes ahead of Trump’s Friday deadline for Russia to make peace with Ukraine or face secondary tariffs or sanctions — penalties on countries that continue purchasing energy from Moscow. “The actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United...