U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a $100,000 increase to H-1B skilled workers’ visas, which had a significant impact on the prolific tech industry of such licenses.
The new measure could face legal challenges and announced at the same time as the introduction of $1 million “Golden Card” Residence Plan Trump previewed it a few months ago.
“The main thing is that we will have good people coming in and they will have to pay,” Trump told reporters when he signed the order in the Oval Office.
The H-1B visa enables companies to sponsor foreign workers with professional skills, such as scientists, engineers and computer programs working in the United States, initially for three years, but can be extended to six years.
The United States issues 85,000 h-1B visas on the lottery system every year, and India accounts for about three-quarters of the recipients.
Large tech companies rely on Indian workers relocating to the United States or between them.
Tech entrepreneurs, including former Trump ally Elon Musk-Have, have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying the United States does not have enough local talent to fill important tech job openings.
“All the big companies are on board,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Trump has been in his sights on the H-1B program since his tenure, but faces challenges in his early approach, targeting the type of job qualifying. The current iteration has become Major Immigration Repression Or his second term.
According to Trump’s order, fairy tales will require people who start entering the country on Sunday, and the Secretary of Homeland Security will be able to exempt individuals, entire companies or entire industries.
The order expires within one year, although Trump can expand it.
The number of H-1B visa applications has increased dramatically in recent years, with President Joe Biden at the time granting approval in 2022.
By contrast, during Trump’s first semester at the White House, the peak of rejection was recorded in 2018.
The United States approved approximately 400,000 h-1b visas in 2024, two-thirds of which are renewals.
Trump also signed an order to create a new expedited pathway for new ways to live in the U.S. to pay $1 million, or company sponsors pay $2 million.
“I think it will be very successful,” Trump added.
New US visa fee timeline “Follow”: Indian Trade Agency
India’s leading trade agency Nasscom said the timeline for implementing new $100,000 visa fees for high-tech workers in the United States is a “concern.”
“The one-day deadline creates a lot of uncertainty for businesses, professionals and students,” it said in a statement after President Donald Trump announced the fees that came into effect from Sunday.
It added that the best policy change is “introduced during the appropriate transition period, allowing organizations and individuals to plan effectively and minimize disruption.”
