Trump to Implement $100,000 Fee for H-1B Professional Visas
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. President Donald Trump is poised to sign an executive order imposing a minimum $100,000 fee for each H-1B professional employment visa application, according to a White House official cited by Bloomberg. The move,previewed during a flight to Miami,Florida on April 3,2025,where Trump reportedly displayed a $5 million investment immigration visa,aims to reshape the H-1B visa system and prioritize american workers.
The forthcoming administrative order will effectively limit access to H-1B visas for those unwilling to meet the substantial new financial requirement. The Trump management argues the measure is crucial to protecting American jobs from what they describe as low-wage foreign labor, framing the issue as a matter of national economic security. Officials contend that current H-1B visa practices suppress wages and hinder American participation in the science and technology sectors.
The policy is expected to considerably impact the U.S.details technology (IT) industry, which heavily relies on H-1B visas to address shortages in specialized roles like software engineering. Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and meta have been major beneficiaries of the program, receiving approvals for over 10,000 and 5,000 H-1B visas respectively this year. Following reports of the impending change, shares of Cognizant, an IT services company, experienced a decline of more than 5%.
Currently, the H-1B visa application process involves a lottery fee of approximately $215 and an employer petition fee (I-129) of $780. the proposed $100,000 fee represents a dramatic increase. The administration has also indicated plans to revise wage regulations for H-1B visa holders, making it more tough for companies to justify hiring foreign workers at lower salaries than their American counterparts.
India has historically been the primary beneficiary of the H-1B visa program, with Indian nationals receiving approximately 71% of approvals last year, followed by 11.7%.
