Trump Imposes $100,000 Fee on H-1B Skilled Worker Visa Applicants
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order introducing a $100,000 (£74,000) application fee for the H-1B visa programme, which allows skilled foreign workers to enter the United States.
The order cites “abuse” of the programme and restricts entry unless the fee is paid. Until now, H-1B applicants faced administrative costs of around $1,500.
Critics have long argued that H-1B visas drive down wages for American workers, while supporters — including tech leaders such as Elon Musk — say the programme helps the US attract top global talent.
In a separate order, Trump also announced a new “gold card” system, offering fast-tracked visas to certain immigrants willing to pay fees starting at £1 million.
White House Announcement
Joined by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said:
“A hundred thousand dollars a year for H-1B visas, and all of the big companies are on board. If you’re going to train somebody, train one of the recent graduates from our great universities. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs.”
The H-1B programme, capped at 85,000 applications annually since 2004, received about 359,000 applications for the upcoming fiscal year — a four-year low, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Amazon was the top H-1B sponsor last year, followed by Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google.
Criticism from Immigration Experts
Tahmina Watson, founding attorney at Watson Immigration Law, warned the fee could be devastating for smaller firms.
“Almost everyone’s going to be priced out. This $100,000 entry point will have a devastating impact,” she said, adding that many small and medium-sized businesses sponsor foreign workers only when they cannot fill jobs locally.
Jorge Lopez, chair of Littler Mendelson PC’s immigration practice, echoed those concerns.
“This fee will put the brakes on American competitiveness in the tech sector and beyond,” he said, noting some companies may relocate operations outside the US.
Political Divide
The H-1B debate has long divided Trump’s advisers and supporters. Former strategist Steve Bannon pushed for restrictions, while others advocated for keeping the programme to satisfy tech industry demand.
Trump himself has sent mixed signals. On the campaign trail last year, he pledged to make it easier for foreign graduates of US universities to stay, even proposing automatic green cards for them. But during his presidency, he has repeatedly tightened rules around the visa system.
In 2017, Trump ordered tougher fraud detection measures on H-1B applications. Rejection rates subsequently soared, peaking at 24% in 2018 compared to 5–8% under Barack Obama and 2–4% under Joe Biden.
Global Impact
India, the largest source of H-1B applicants, is expected to be hit hardest by the new policy. Immigration experts warn that the steep fee could push companies to move jobs abroad and make the US less attractive to foreign talent.