Friday, September 19, 2025

Trump to Add New $100,000 Fee For H-1B Visas in Latest Crackdown

The H-1B program has become critical for technology and staffing companies who rely on foreign workers to fill a variety of technical roles.

Amazon had over 10,000 H-1B visas approved in the first half of 2025, while Microsoft and Meta Platforms had over 5,000 H-1B visa approvals each, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Roughly two-thirds of jobs secured through the visa program are computer-related, according to U.S. government figures, but employers also use the visa to bring in engineers, educators and healthcare workers.

Filing fees currently start at $215 but can be several thousand dollars more, depending on the circumstances.

Trump expected to add new $100,000 fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to introduce a new $100,000 application fee for H-1B worker visas, according to a White House official, in an effort to reduce their use as part of his broader immigration crackdown.

By Aditya Soni and Nandita Bose

Fri, September 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM PDT

Item 1 of 3 Demonstrators outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was recorded, on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. REUTERS/David Swanson

Demonstrators outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was recorded, on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. REUTERS/David Swanson

India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries, while
China was a distant second at 11.7%, according to government data.

The H-1B visas are approved for a period of three to six years.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington, Dheeraj Kumar in Bengaluru, and Aditya Soni and Greg Bensinger in San Francisco; additional reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)