Flagship’s founding attorney, Divij Kishore, was featured in The Economic Times discussing the impact of the proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee on Indian AI startups expanding to the U.S. Kishore noted that this extraordinary cost forces many entrepreneurial H-1B petitioners to either take on a heavy financial burden or abandon their ventures. While the policy poses significant challenges, he also highlighted that the revised rule allows entrepreneurs to self-sponsor H-1B visas through their startups, offering a potential path forward.
The piece underscores the broader uncertainty faced by AI startups navigating U.S. immigration policies. While some founders are reconsidering their hiring strategies in America, others remain committed to investing in U.S. operations and talent. Immigration law plays a central role in these decisions, and insights from Kishore and other industry leaders shed light on how startups can adapt their growth strategies in this changing landscape.