US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that attaches a new annual $100,000 fee to H-1B visa applications as his administration continues in its efforts to tighten immigration policy.
The visa program provides a path for highly skilled workers to lawfully work in the US for a limited period of three years.
US tech companies have routinely used the visa program to bring in workers, with applicants from India and China receiving the most visas.
In 2025, over 70% of approved beneficiaries under the program came from India.
Every year, a limited number of 85,000 visas are offered under two categories. Currently, visa applicants pay a small fee to enter a lottery, and if an application is selected, another fee is paid to formally process the application. Companies recruiting workers generally pay the fees.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the new fee is aimed at getting companies to recruit more US citizens as workers. “All of the big companies are on board,” Lutnick said. “We’ve talked to them.”
“If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs,” he said.
“We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
While announcing the new fee, Trump also introduced a $1 million “Trump Gold Card” visa with a potential pathway to US citizenship for accepted applicants under an expedited process. Companies can sponsor a person for $2 million.
Tech companies in focus
Critics of cracking down on skilled foreign workers have said the US risks losing its competitive edge in tech, while costing companies millions in added costs. Others say the system is in need of reform, and has been subject to widespread fraud and abuse by companies looking for cheap labor.
It is currently unclear how and when the new fee will take effect, or if it will be challenged in court. New visa fees are usually set by Congress after months of public deliberation.
According to CBS News, current fees range from $1,700 to over $4,000. According to government data, Amazon and its cloud computing unit AWS led the number of approved visas so far in 2025 at 12,000. Microsoft and Meta saw 5,000 visas approved.
Trump on Friday said he thinks tech companies will be “very happy” with the move.
Source: Agencies
