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New fee affects only new H-1B applicants

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Indian IT firms may face disruptions due to new fee

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Tech giants advise H-1B holders to stay in US

(Adds comment by White House official)

By Jeff Mason

Sept 20 (Reuters) - A new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B

visas in the United States goes into effect on Sunday, but it

will not be applied to existing holders of valid visas

re-entering the country, a White House official said on

Saturday.

"This is a one-time fee," the official said.

The executive order imposing the new fee on H-1B visa

applications, which was signed by President Donald Trump on

Friday night, could disrupt the global operations of Indian

technology services companies that deploy skilled professionals

to the United States, Indian IT industry body Nasscom said early

on Saturday.

The White House said the fee will not impact current visa

holders re-entering the country or those renewing their visas.

The new fee structure will first apply to the upcoming H-1B

lottery cycle for new applicants, and not to current visa

holders or to renewals.

Friday's announcement sparked concerns among employees

across swaths of corporate America. Companies, including

Microsoft ( MSFT ), Amazon ( AMZN ) and Alphabet

advised some employees holding H-1B visas to remain in the U.S.,

according to internal emails reviewed by Reuters.

On the popular Chinese social media app Rednote, many

H-1B holders shared stories of rushing back to the U.S. - some

just hours after landing abroad - fearing they will be subject

to the new $100,000 fee.