US firm’s ‘we still sponsor H-1Bs’ hoardings in India grab eyeballs amid $100,000 visa fee row

A US-based AI recruitment firm came to IIT-Delhi for placement and assured the students that they will not hesitate to sponsor H-1Bs because of the $100,000 fee that the Donald Trump administration imposed, so that companies rely on American talent and don’t import foreign skills. The firm’s social media marketing also targeted the H-1B issue, the concerns over the high fees and established their message that the $100,000 fee will not stop them from hiring the best. “We want to work in India for sure. But the exposure one gets abroad, in a diverse and fast-moving environment, is different. Strict visa rules are a big setback. So companies offering sponsorship is a huge thing for us,” a student told news agency PTI.According to social media buzz, the AI company is San Francisco’s Metaview, and the company’s co-founder ran a similar campaign after the Trump administration announced the H-1B visa fee. Shahriar Tajbakhsh, the co-founder and CTO, said $100,000 is a rounding error compared to the value each member of the team creates. “If you’re on an H-1B visa and your company doesn’t value you enough to pay the $100k, check out to see if any of our roles might be a fit,” he wrote. “I’m seeing many companies from other countries using this as an opportunity to say, “come work in country X.” That feels a bit desperate to me. Instead, come work with @MetaviewAI — right here in San Francisco — where $100K is a rounding error compared to the value each member of our team creates. Our team is ready to move fast and get to an offer/no-offer decision on any candidate within 24 hours of first contact. However, there’s a catch. Candidates should spare 4-5 hours of their time for interviews,” Tajbaksh wrote. “Our company is looking to expand in the US, and we plan to submit more H-1B petitions in the next lottery. One executive order will not change my belief that an organization’s success or failure is a function of its people,” Tajbaksh told Business Insider, explaining his social media post. Tajbaksh came to the US through EB-1A visa which is an employment-based visa meant for those with extraordinary abilities in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.The H-1B row has again taken the centerstage after President Donald Trump said in a Fox interview that US needs certain talents from outside, riling up a section of MAGA who wants the H-1B program to be suspended.