Trump enacts decree imposing $100,000 yearly fee for H-1B visa petitions submission
In a recent development, President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation that will significantly impact the visa fees for highly-skilled foreign workers. The changes, if they survive legal challenges, will deliver staggering price increases.
The fee for H-1B visas, which are primarily used for high-skilled jobs, will jump from $215 to an annual fee of $100,000. For companies, sponsoring an employee for the so-called "Trump Platinum Card" will cost a hefty $2 million. This new card is set to replace employment-based visas that offer paths to citizenship, including for professors, scientists, artists, and athletes.
The H-1B visa program, often criticized for being a pipeline for overseas workers who are willing to work for less than U.S. technology workers, will also see a rise in fees for investor visas. These will climb from $10,000-$20,000 a year.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that these changes are likely to result in far fewer H-1B visas than the 85,000 annual cap allows. The H-1B visa lottery bids plunged nearly 40% in 2024, allegedly due to authorities addressing people gaming the system.
The AFL-CIO, a major labour union, has expressed support for these changes, wanting visas awarded to companies that pay the highest wages instead of by random lottery. Critics, however, argue that H-1B spots often go to entry-level jobs rather than senior positions with unique skill requirements. They contend that companies can save money by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even if the specific workers hired have more experience.
Notably, the proposed fee increase has been labelled "ludicricously lawless" by Doug Rand, a former senior official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The search results do not provide the name of the person who will sell the Gold or Platinum visa after vetting if these proposals become legally binding.
California has the highest number of H-1B workers, with major technology companies, including Amazon, Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple, and Google, being the top recipients of these visas this year. Interestingly, the first lady, Melania Trump, was granted an H-1B work visa in October 1996 to work as a model.
These changes mark a significant shift in U.S. immigration policies, and their impact on the tech industry and foreign workers remains to be seen.
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