India, June 9 -- Last year, US President Donald Trump sought to smother the H-1B visa programme by raising its application fees tenfold to $1,00,000 - more than the median wage for H-1B workers in 2024. As the biggest beneficiary of the programme, India stood to lose the most from Trump's decision.

There have been allegations of H-1B misuse to the detriment of US workers. But it has played a critical role in attracting high-skilled workers to the US. This is exactly why Trump's decision was challenged in the US courts by both state governments and businesses. This week, a US court ruled Trump's enhanced H-1B visa fee illegal. The judgment draws on constitutional proceduralism rather than the overall merits of the H-1B programme. The enha...