White House unveils overhaul, $100K fee for H-1B visa program
Nashville Business Journal
The White House on Friday unveiled several changes to the H-1B visa program that could have a host of implications for businesses.
The biggest change is the requirement of a $100,000 payment to accompany or supplement H-1B petitions for new applications.
The Trump administration said it made the change to curb abuses that displace U.S. workers and undermine national security. Supporters of H-1B visas have said they elevate the competitiveness of American businesses.
Heading into 2025, many employment attorneys told The Playbook that the future of H-1B visas was a significant issue to watch in President Trump’s second administration. Specifically, they noted that employers should prepare to face more obstacles in hiring and retaining non-resident workers.
A number of major employers — including those in technology and health care — lean heavily on the program for a talent pipeline.
Friday’s announcement was greeted with confusion among many employers.
The White House later clarified the $100,000 fee is a one-time fee — rather than an annual payment — that would apply only to new applicants. Renewals wouldn’t be subject to the fee.
Additionally, the White House said the change wouldn’t affect travel for current visa holders. Some employers had proactively encouraged existing visa holders to return to the United States as a cautionary measure, according to The Wall Street Journal and several other reports.
The measures announced by the White House also call for federal agencies to initiate rule making to revise prevailing wage levels for the H-1B program. They also direct the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize high-skilled, high-paid H-1B workers.
According to the White House, the share of information-technology workers with H-1B visas has risen from 32% in fiscal 2003 to more than 65% in recent years.
The measures are likely to affect many of the nation’s technology heavyweights, many of which have initiated layoffs over the past two years as they’ve sought to right-size their head counts after a wave of post-pandemic hiring.
While not directly mentioning any companies, the White House noted those layoffs and said many employers with significant job cuts had also been approved for H-1B visas in recent years.
The change comes amid a rapidly evolving landscape for tech companies marked by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, shifting labor needs and economic uncertainty.
Even beyond the technology sector and H-1B visas, the American workforce is at a critical moment. Experts recently joined The Business Journals in a member-only webinar to share strategies for future-proofing the workforce.