Union Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has sharply reacted to US President Donald Trump's recent order to hike H-1B visa fee to USD 100,000 and said that the world is a bit "afraid of India's talent". Goyal, a Lok Sabha MP from North Mumbai constituency, on Sunday shared a short clip on X (previously Twitter), highlighting that India achieved a growth of 7.8 per cent in the first quarter.
This, Goyal said, was beyond the expectations of all economists, asserting that India will continue to grow like this. India will be "winners, come what may", the Union Minister asserted.
"The world understands the capabilities of India. Several countries want to do free trade agreements with us. They want to increase trade and improve ties with India. Some are even afraid of our talent. We have no objection to that either," Goyal said in the video.
Goyal's US visit
Notably, this comes a day before Goyal's scheduled visit to the US for trade talks. Goyal, along with Special Secretary in Commerce & Industry Ministry Rajesh Agrawal, will be visiting the US "to achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial trade agreement", the government said.
"During the last visit of the team of officials from the office of United States Trade Representative to India on 16th September 2025, positive discussions were held on various aspects of the trade deal, and it was decided to intensify efforts in this regard," the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.
The relationship between India and the US was hit after Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on New Delhi, citing its decision to buy Russian oil. However, with Trump softening his stance recently, India and the US are now focusing on negotiating the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
Trump's H-1B visa move
Meanwhile, Trump has recently signed an executive order to hike the fee for H-1B visas to USD 100,000, a move that caused panic among Indian tech professionals. However, the Trump administration has clarified that the order only applies to new applicants, urging Indian professionals not to rush to the US.
