After the United States of America levied a $100,000 fees for H-1B visas, which are heavily utilised by the tech sector, the head economist for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stated that high-skilled migrants are essential to the US economy.

Alvaro Pereira, who is leaving his position after being chosen governor of Portugal's central bank, spoke with AFP as the Paris-based agency presented an updated global economic outlook.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a 38-member group of wealthy nations, raised the prediction to 3.2 per cent growth in 2025, up from 2.9 per cent in its last report in June.

The OECD claimed that the economy "proved more resilient than anticipated" in the first half of the year as businesses rushed to import goods before US President Donald Trump's tariffs went into force.

It also upped the US GDP forecast from 1.6 percent to 1.8 percent, but cautioned that it will decelerate as higher tariffs began to bite.

The OECD predicted that cuts to the US federal workforce and Trump's immigration crackdown would dampen growth.

"There's obviously less labour growth and less labour growth means that obviously this will impact total GDP," Pereira told AFP.

He pointed out that the OECD report was written before the new H-1B visa fee rule went into effect over the weekend.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialised skills, such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers, to work in the United States for a three-year period, which can be extended to six years.

These visas are commonly utilised in the IT sector. Indian nationals account for roughly three-quarters of the licenses awarded under the lottery system each year.