'Trump is clear - hire top talent, stop the nonsense': US Commerce Secretary on $100,000 H-1B fee
The H-1B visa programme was introduced in 1990 to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations and has historically helped shape the US technology and business
- Sep 21, 2025,
- Updated Sep 21, 2025 11:19 AM IST
The United States has imposed a steep one-time fee of $100,000 on new H-1B visa applicants, a move aimed at tightening the entry of foreign skilled workers. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaking alongside US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, defended the measure, saying: "Is that person valuable enough (for the employer to pay) $100,000 a year to the government...That's the point of immigration: hire Americans, make sure people coming in are the top, top people. The President is crystal clear. Valuable people only for America. Stop the nonsense."
The proclamation, effective from September 21, sparked immediate panic among Indian professionals working in the US. Immigration attorneys and companies warned H-1B holders and their families outside America to return within 24 hours or risk being stranded. The White House, however, later clarified that the fee is applicable only for new applicants.
The H-1B visa programme was introduced in 1990 to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations and has historically helped shape the US technology and business. Indians account for roughly 71 percent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Top beneficiaries of the H-1B programme include Amazon (10,044 visas), Tata Consultancy Services (5,505), Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
US President Trump justified the move as a response to systemic abuse of the H-1B system, which he said replaced higher-paid American workers with cheaper, lower-skilled foreign labor. "The abuse of the H-1B programme is also a national security threat. Domestic law enforcement agencies have identified and investigated H-1B-reliant outsourcing companies for engaging in visa fraud, conspiracy to launder money...and other illicit activities to encourage foreign workers to come to the US," Trump said.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick explained that the new fee is intended to prioritise top-tier talent: "We are going to stop doing that. We're going to only take extraordinary people at the very top, instead of those trying to take jobs from Americans. They're going to create businesses and create jobs for Americans. And this programme will raise more than USD 100 billion for the treasury of the United States."
When asked about the fee's applicability to current H-1B holders, Lutnick said: "Renewals, first times, the company needs to decide. Is that person valuable enough to have a USD 100,000 a year payment to the government, or they should head home and they should go hire an American?"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified: "This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter."
She further said H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would. "This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders. It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle."
The policy is expected to have a disproportionate impact on Indian technology professionals and companies heavily reliant on H-1B talent, with industry groups such as Nasscom warning of potential disruptions to ongoing projects. The measure also comes at a sensitive time as India-US trade talks were gaining momentum.
The United States has imposed a steep one-time fee of $100,000 on new H-1B visa applicants, a move aimed at tightening the entry of foreign skilled workers. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaking alongside US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, defended the measure, saying: "Is that person valuable enough (for the employer to pay) $100,000 a year to the government...That's the point of immigration: hire Americans, make sure people coming in are the top, top people. The President is crystal clear. Valuable people only for America. Stop the nonsense."
The proclamation, effective from September 21, sparked immediate panic among Indian professionals working in the US. Immigration attorneys and companies warned H-1B holders and their families outside America to return within 24 hours or risk being stranded. The White House, however, later clarified that the fee is applicable only for new applicants.
The H-1B visa programme was introduced in 1990 to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations and has historically helped shape the US technology and business. Indians account for roughly 71 percent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Top beneficiaries of the H-1B programme include Amazon (10,044 visas), Tata Consultancy Services (5,505), Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
US President Trump justified the move as a response to systemic abuse of the H-1B system, which he said replaced higher-paid American workers with cheaper, lower-skilled foreign labor. "The abuse of the H-1B programme is also a national security threat. Domestic law enforcement agencies have identified and investigated H-1B-reliant outsourcing companies for engaging in visa fraud, conspiracy to launder money...and other illicit activities to encourage foreign workers to come to the US," Trump said.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick explained that the new fee is intended to prioritise top-tier talent: "We are going to stop doing that. We're going to only take extraordinary people at the very top, instead of those trying to take jobs from Americans. They're going to create businesses and create jobs for Americans. And this programme will raise more than USD 100 billion for the treasury of the United States."
When asked about the fee's applicability to current H-1B holders, Lutnick said: "Renewals, first times, the company needs to decide. Is that person valuable enough to have a USD 100,000 a year payment to the government, or they should head home and they should go hire an American?"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified: "This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter."
She further said H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would. "This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders. It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle."
The policy is expected to have a disproportionate impact on Indian technology professionals and companies heavily reliant on H-1B talent, with industry groups such as Nasscom warning of potential disruptions to ongoing projects. The measure also comes at a sensitive time as India-US trade talks were gaining momentum.