Saturday, September 20, 2025 - U.S. President Donald Trump will signed an executive order Friday, September 19, adding a $100,000 fee to all H1-B visa applications, a White House official said.
The move marks the latest crackdown by the
administration on migrants coming into the US for job opportunities, and
is likely intended to limit visa applicants to those from higher financial
brackets.
The new order restricts entry under the H-1B visa program
unless the application fee is paid, the official said.
The administration views the current H1-B visa program —
which admits hundreds of thousands of workers into the US each year — as a way
for companies to exploit lower-wage employees, ultimately impacting US
salaries.
The new application fee potentially deals a big blow to the
technology sector that relies heavily on skilled workers from India and
China.
Adding new fees "creates disincentive to attract the
world's smartest talent to the U.S.," said Deedy Das, partner at venture
capital firm Menlo Ventures, on X. "If the U.S. ceases to attract the best
talent, it drastically reduces its ability to innovate and grow the
economy."
The $100,000 fee could significantly push up costs for
companies. While the new fees may not deter Big Tech, which routinely spends
heavily to secure top talent, it could squeeze smaller tech firms and
start-ups.
Roughly two-thirds of jobs secured through the program are
computer-related, government figures show, but employers also use the visa to
bring in engineers, educators and healthcare workers.
India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year,
accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second
at 11.7%, according to government data.
In the first half of 2025, Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens
new tab had more than 10,000 H-1B visas approved, while
Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and Meta Platforms (META.O),
opens new tab had over 5,000 H-1B visa approvals each.
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