New Delhi, Sept. 22 -- Will the US hike in its fee for prized H-1B visas from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 spell doom for India's infotech (IT) sector? Hardly. It affects new visas, not the existing ones that usually last for three years and can be renewed for another three.

Even if renewals do attract the hiked visa fee, as policy in Trumpland could tighten on a dime, our IT service companies would have time to recalibrate their business strategy.

For now, this revised fee will hasten the automation that artificial intelligence (AI) has already set in motion and relocate some work to India and perhaps Mexico and Canada; as US-based personnel help service clients on-site, having them a short flight away could serve that end.

Amer...