The Trump administration has fired another missile at H-1B, a $103,265 fee that the courts will likely block. The Indian government may also protest, but it should do the opposite: urge the US to kill the programme altogether.

That is because this deeply flawed visa is hurting Americans, Indian-Americans, and the perception of India itself.

The US’ greatest advantage has always been immigration, and it attracts the world’s best minds. Indian engineers and scientists create companies and jobs in the US, make medical and technology breakthroughs, and lead some of the US’s largest corporations.

But this isn’t because of the H-1B visa; it is despite it.

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The H-1B was meant to fill genuine shortages of specialised skills but has become a vehicle for labour arbitrage. Indian outsourcing companies turned these visas into a business model. Shoddy body shops and recruiters continue to manufacture experience and embellish résumés. Many applicants claim skills they do not possess; some simply fake their résumés.

American corporations willingly participate because the arrangement benefits them. A worker whose immigration status depends on an employer is at its mercy. Visa restrictions make it difficult to change jobs, and accepting a promotion can jeopardise a green-card application or send the worker to the back of the line. So, they don’t demand raises, reject assignments, or leave a substandard........

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