Sensex slips 166 points as H-1B visa fees go up

Business Sep 22, 2025

On Monday, the Sensex slipped 166 points to 82,460 and Nifty edged down to 25,311, partly due to Indian IT stocks taking a beating after the US raised H-1B visa fees.

Nifty IT index drops over 3%

The US has raised H-1B visa fees—a move that could make hiring tech talent costlier for Indian IT giants.
The Nifty IT index dropped over 3%, with Tech Mahindra nearly 4% down.
Investors are worried this fee hike will squeeze profits and potentially impact growth in India's top tech firms.

Rising oil prices and global jitters add to pressure

Rising oil prices (Brent crude up to $67.12/barrel) mean higher costs for India and risk of inflation.
Plus, global jitters—like Hong Kong's Hang Seng falling nearly 1%—added pressure.
Technical charts also suggest Nifty could see more declines after its recent highs.