Donald Trump’s administration has done it again: it has set off all the alarms after imposing a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas… $100,000!!!!! Being one of the most used by foreign professionals in the United States.
The White House insists that it does not affect applications already granted, but only those made from now on, but of course, as expected the announcement has spread panic among tech workers, immigration lawyers and companies that depend on international talent… The government believes that this way it protects American workers and curbs abuses of the system… But the reality is that we would be lying if we didn’t say that this country runs in great part thanks to the migrant hand that comes here to exploit their intelligence.
A millionaire fee
The Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) clarified that it is a one-time payment, valid only for petitions that enter the next visa lottery, and that applications submitted before September 21 are excluded, as well as current holders who renew or reenter.
They say it is a measure of “common sense,” designed to prevent companies from using the system to lower wages. But the reality is that many companies fear that access to foreign talent will remain outside the borders of our country.
Panic among foreign workers
Obviously the announcement created chaos, the Indian community, main beneficiary of the H-1B, was the most affected. There were workers who canceled trips and others who moved up their return to the U.S. out of fear of being left out since at first they didn’t even explain how they were going to proceed. A disaster…
Immigration lawyers warned that those who were outside the country ran the risk of being left out if they did not enter before September 21. Rumors even claimed that all holders would have to pay the fee! People rushed to airports to enter our country.
“America first”… really?
That is Trump’s speech, right? This fact fits with that speech, prioritizing national workers above what comes from outside. According to his administration, the fee will make it so that only the most valuable professionals can enter the country with this visa… Or those who have more money, which does not always match.
The Secretary of Commerce clarified that companies will have to decide if a foreign worker “is worth enough” to pay $100,000, or if it is better to hire an American… The land of opportunities!!
The direct impact on the tech sector
Every year, giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft or Apple use the H-1B to hire thousands of engineers and specialists, especially from India and China.
With such a high cost, medium-sized companies could stop sponsoring visas, reducing the arrival of international talent and weakening the competitiveness of the sector in the U.S. The big question is inevitable: does this measure really protect local workers or put the country at a disadvantage compared to other markets that compete for the same professionals?
What is the H-1B
The H-1B is the visa that allows American companies to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialized occupations: engineering, computer science, medicine… Each year 65,000 visas are distributed, plus 20,000 additional for people with master’s degrees or doctorates in American universities. Until now, the processing cost ranged from $2,000 to $5,000, ridiculous figures compared to the $100,000 now imposed by the new rule….
The next H-1B visa lottery will be in March 2027, and that is when the new fee will take effect. From now until then, what reigns is uncertainty: thousands of professionals who saw the H-1B as their gateway to the “American dream” now think twice. Qualified labor immigration will be more and more limited…