The Trump administration says the adjustments will reshape employment-based immigration and cut back reliance on non permanent employee packages.
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that imposes a $100,000 one-time price on H-1B visas, thereby altering how international employees get employed throughout the U.S.
“The entire concept is not any extra will these huge tech corporations or different huge corporations practice international employees. They need to pay the federal government $100,000, then they need to pay the worker, so it’s simply not [economical],” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick informed reporters on Friday as Trump signed the order. He added, “The entire huge corporations are on board.”
The $100,000 cost — a one-time price making use of solely to new H-1B petitions — will take impact within the subsequent lottery cycle. It doesn’t apply to renewals or present visa holders, and people already on H-1B visas is not going to be required to pay the quantity when re-entering the nation, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified in an X put up Saturday afternoon.
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“That is NOT an annual price,” Leavitt stated. “… H-1B visa holders can depart and re-enter the nation to the identical extent as they usually would; no matter capacity they’ve to do this just isn’t impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.”
Along with the price, Trump additionally rolled out a “gold card,” which is able to give rich people a pathway to citizenship.
President Donald Trump speaks, with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick standing by his aspect, as an indication that reads “Trump Gold Card is right here” is displayed, within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2025. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters / Reuters)
People trying to get a gold card will likely be charged $1 million and companies might want to pay $2 million, in accordance with Axios. The company card will let corporations sponsor an worker. There will likely be no further price if the corporate chooses to change the sponsorship to a unique employee.
There may even be a extra premium possibility referred to as the “Trump Platinum Card,” which carries a $5 million price ticket and can let holders spend as much as 270 days within the U.S. with out being topic to taxes on non-U.S. revenue, Axios reported.
H-1B visas have been a significant focus of the immigration debate all through Trump’s second time period. Whereas the visas require candidates to have no less than a bachelor’s diploma, there are some who argue that H-1Bs are sometimes used to rent low-cost labor over American employees.
“President Trump promised to place American employees first, and this commonsense motion does simply that by discouraging corporations from spamming the system and driving down wages. It additionally provides certainty to American companies who truly wish to carry high-skilled employees to our nice nation however have been trampled on by abuses of the system,” White Home spokesperson Taylor Rogers informed FOX Enterprise.
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President Donald Trump indicators an govt order on a “gold card” visa within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2025. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters / Reuters)
The White Home stated in a reality sheet that the share of IT employees with H-1B visas rose from 32% in fiscal 2003 to greater than 65% lately. In the meantime, the Trump administration stated unemployment amongst laptop science graduates reached 6.1% and seven.5% for laptop engineering graduates.
“The H-1B program is creating disincentives for future American employees to decide on STEM careers, which threatens our nationwide safety,” the White Home stated.
JPMorgan workers had been suggested by Ogletree Deakins, an organization that handles visa purposes for the financial institution, that H-1B visa holders ought to keep away from worldwide journey “till the federal government points clear journey steerage,” in accordance with Reuters.
Amazon reportedly posted inner steerage Friday night with an analogous warning, Enterprise Insider reported.
“When you have H-1B standing and are within the U.S.: Keep within the nation for now, even when you’ve got journey deliberate for the rapid future,” the corporate informed workers, in accordance with Enterprise Insider. The steerage additionally suggested H-1B and H-4 holders presently outdoors the U.S. to return as quickly as attainable. H-4 visas are for spouses of H-1B holders.
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India’s know-how service business can be anticipated to really feel the impression of the coverage shift.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick talks in regards to the “Trump Gold Card” as President Donald Trump seems to be on throughout an govt order signing Friday within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, D.C. (Fox Information / Pool / Fox Information)
“Expert expertise mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to know-how growth, innovation, financial development, competitiveness and wealth creation in the USA and India,” India’s Ministry of Exterior Affairs stated in an announcement. “Coverage makers will due to this fact assess latest steps taking into consideration mutual advantages, which embrace sturdy people-to-people ties between the 2 nations.”
Deedy Das, accomplice at enterprise capital agency Menlo Ventures, warned in a put up on X that this “creates disincentive to draw the world’s smartest expertise to the U.S.”
“If the U.S. ceases to draw the most effective expertise, it drastically reduces its capacity to innovate and develop the economic system,” Das added.
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FOX Enterprise reached out to Amazon and Microsoft for remark however didn’t instantly obtain a response. JPMorgan declined to remark.
