Trump Administration Will Charge $100,000 a Year for H-1B Visas

Washington — The Trump administration said it plans to charge $100,000 a year for every H-1B visa, a step that would overhaul the U.S. tech workforce and raise considerable expenses for businesses that depend on offshore talent.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick affirmed the proposal on Friday, stating that large companies had been approached and were on board. He claimed the move would motivate companies to train American graduates instead of relying on foreign workers.

The H-1B program, giving out 65,000 visas each year in addition to 20,000 for advanced degree recipients, is extensively utilized by tech firms to bring in specialized labor. India is still the most significant beneficiary, with more than 70% of recipients, followed by China. Firms like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are some of the largest users of the program.

Leaders in the industry and lawyers have decried the plan. Venture capitalists cautioned that it would send bright workers to other nations and undermine U.S. innovation. Immigration attorneys questioned whether the administration has the power to impose such high fees without Congressional consent, as current law permits only cost-recovery fees.

The news has already shaken markets. Stocks of technology services companies that depend on H-1B workers, such as Cognizant, Infosys, and Wipro, closed between 2% to 5% down after the news.

Critics view the new policy as part of a comprehensive immigration crackdown. Over the past few months, the administration has rolled out visa bonds, broadened travel bans, and restricted other temporary visas. Proponents argue that the increased fees will level the playing field for American workers.

Whether the $100,000 fee withstands legal and political scrutiny is far from clear, but for the moment it marks one of the most dramatic overhauls of the H-1B system in decades.