>>> The Trump administration’s decision to raise the H-1B visa fee from $1,000 to $100,000 primarily affects Indian IT specialists, who account for roughly 80% of all holders
>>> U.S. companies will be forced to rethink their recruitment strategies and look for alternatives through outsourcing and nearshoring
>>> Romania, with its skilled workforce and strong international reputation, can become one of the key destinations for outsourced IT projects
Bucharest, September 24, 2025 – RBJ – The Trump administration’s recent decision to increase the H-1B visa fee from $1,000 to $100,000 for new applications marks a significant shift in how U.S. companies will manage their human resources.
The H-1B visa – commonly referred to as the visa for IT specialists – is the main channel through which the U.S. brings in thousands of programmers and engineers from abroad each year. Approximately 65,000 visas are issued annually, and more than four out of five go to Indian citizens. China follows with around 10%, and the rest are distributed among other nationalities, including Eastern Europeans. As a result, the impact of the new fee will be felt first and foremost in India, where tens of thousands of professionals risk losing access to the U.S. market.
How the U.S. decision changes the global outsourcing market
The increase in the H-1B visa fee has the potential to reshape the balance of the global IT outsourcing market. Until now, U.S. companies preferred to bring Indian specialists directly to the United States, but the prohibitive costs will force them to look for more efficient alternatives. The immediate solution will be to recruit American citizens, but the chronic shortage of IT professionals and high salaries will limit this option. In the coming months, the pressure to secure qualified resources will push companies toward outsourcing and nearshoring, directing attention to regions such as Central and Eastern Europe.
Beyond the political factor, several global drivers accelerate this trend: the rapid digitalization of traditional industries, the need to diversify risk following the pandemic experience, the soaring demand for AI-based solutions, and the persistent shortage of software engineers in the U.S. and Western Europe. All these factors create fertile ground for a repositioning of IT outsourcing in the region.
“This decision will reshape global outsourcing flows. Even if, in the short term, U.S. companies will try to fill vacant positions with American citizens, within a few months they will realize that local resources are insufficient and far too expensive. At that point, their attention will turn to markets such as Romania. Romanian programmers are appreciated for their work ethic, the quality of their deliverables, and their willingness to go the extra mile for the success of a project, all at competitive costs. We estimate that, over the next 6–10 months, Romanian outsourcing could grow by about 30%, driven both by demand from the U.S. and by the constant need for high-quality resources in the European Union”, said Mihai Filip, CEO of OVES Enterprise.
Romania in a favorable position
Romania today has one of the most consistent bases of IT specialists in the region – over 200,000 active professionals – and benefits from strong technical education combined with linguistic and cultural skills that align it with Western partners. Competitive costs, EU membership, and a stable legal environment make Romania an attractive alternative for U.S. companies seeking reliable partners.
Over the past decade, Romanian IT outsourcing has evolved from being a low-cost service provider to becoming a strategic partner for global companies, delivering complex projects in sectors such as banking, telecom, automotive, healthcare, and defense. In addition, the accelerated development of AI-based solutions and the growing demand for high value-added services provide further growth opportunities.
xxx
OVES Enterprise is a Romanian software development company with expertise in creating complex software solutions and AI innovations for aerospace, defense, and cybersecurity industries, founded in 2015 in Cluj-Napoca. Since 2019, OVES’s strategy has included offering more complex software development services for projects in automotive, eCommerce, fintech, telecom, and international government institutions, becoming a technological partner for complex and technologically sophisticated projects. Last year, OVES Enterprise expanded its activities with a new business line focused on drone production.
Currently, more than half of the company’s revenue is generated by international projects integrating new technologies in artificial intelligence and big data. OVES Enterprise currently has over 200 employees and offices in Romania, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Norway
