Trump Administration Announces Changes to H-1B Visa Program, Including $100,000 Fee

The Trump administration on Friday announced changes to the H-1B visa system, including a new $100,000 fee for applications, and a shift in how visas are allocated.

The Details: According to the administration, the $100,000 fee is intended “to curb abuses that displace US workers and undermine national security.” On Tuesday, Trump also proposed replacing the current H-1B random lottery with a weighted process that favors higher-paid and higher-skilled foreign workers. Officials said the change would apply when applications exceed the annual cap of 85,000 visas, which the government notes has happened every year for more than a decade.

For Context: The H-1B visa is a US nonimmigrant program that lets employers temporarily hire foreign workers for roles in fields such as science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), healthcare, or finance. According to the administration, IT workers with H-1B visas have risen from 32% in FY 2003 to over 65% in recent years, with several companies reportedly firing thousands of their American workers and replacing them with H-1B holders. Wall Street Journal (Center bias) reported that people born in India accounted for 71% of approved H-1B petitions in 2024, while people from China accounted for almost 12%. 

Support for H-1B Visas: Several outlets across the political spectrum highlighted opposition to the program changes. Vox (Left) said the policy “addresses legitimate complaints with the H-1B system, however, does so in a needlessly costly manner,” and that the fee would “undermine American scientific research, technological progress, and economic growth,” ultimately translating to lower wages for American workers. Fortune (Center) said the program might lead to “the unintended consequence of sending more tech jobs to Canada” or back to India and China. Fox Business (Lean Right) quoted business leaders and economists who warned the fee could hurt American innovation. The Wall Street Journal cited a 2015 paper which found “influxes of foreign-born workers boosted wages for native-born workers.”

Criticism of Current H-1B Programs: Wall Street Journal and The Daily Caller (Right) highlighted criticism that the H-1B program can suppress wages by allowing companies to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans. Both noted the program benefits companies like Amazon (14,667 foreign workers), Meta (5,123), and Apple (4,202). The Daily Caller highlighted that India is the “biggest beneficiary” of the program with its US-based workers sending about $15.8 billion back home annually. It also quoted Dale Wilcox, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, who said,“The new fee is significant enough to discourage employers who merely want to hire lower wage foreign workers, but not so prohibitive that it will prevent them from petitioning for workers whose skills are truly needed.”

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