By Khaleda Rahman

Copyright newsweek

President Donald Trump’s move to require a $100,000 visa fee for highly-skilled foreign workers will affect Amazon and other top tech companies the most, according to government data.H-1B visas are issue through a lottery system. The data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows Amazon was the largest H-1B visa sponsor in the 2025 fiscal year, with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google.Newsweek contacted the companies for comment via email sent outside regular business hours.Why It MattersThe H-1B program allows U.S employers to temporarily employ foreign workers for jobs in specialty occupations. Congress makes 65,000 H-1B visas available for workers with a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent and 20,000 more for those with a master’s degree or higher.Trump’s proclamation imposing the $100,000 application fee could deal a particular blow to the technology sector, as companies often rely on the visas for high-skilled jobs they find difficult to fill.The program has come under scrutiny against a backdrop of a wide-ranging immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, with critics saying employers are using the visas to bring workers from abroad to take American jobs at a fraction of the cost, while others say the visas are needed to bring the best talent to the U.S.What To KnowAccording to the data from USCIS, Amazon has had 10,044 beneficiaries approved for H-1B visas in the 2025 fiscal year.The company with the second most visas approved, Tata Consultancy Services, has had 5,505. Microsoft has had 5,189 H-1B visas approved in the 2025 fiscal year, closely followed by Meta with 5,123.However, experts have previously told Newsweek that the figures include extensions, transfers, and cap-exempt petitions.The 10 companies with the most H-1B visas approvals in the 2025 fiscal year are:
Amazon Com Services (10,044)
Tata Consultancy Services (5,505)
Microsoft Corporation (5,189)
Meta Platforms Inc (5,123)
Apple Inc (4,202)
Google LLC (4,181)
Cognizant Technology Solutions (2,493)
JPMorgan Chase and Co (2,440 )
Walmart Associates Inc (2,390)
Deloitte Consulting LLP (2,353)
The White House did not initially clarify if the change would apply to existing H-1B holders, but later confirmed it would not.Companies including Amazon and Microsoft sent out emergency guidance urging employees on H-1B visas not to leave the country and for employees who were traveling to return to the U.S. before the fee came into effect on Sunday, Business Insider and the Financial Times reported.The White House said on Saturday that the new fee would apply only to the petition—the request by the company to bring a skilled worker from another country to the U.S.—and will not be applied to existing visa holders reentering the country.What People Are SayingAsked how he believes tech companies will react to the new fee, President Donald Trump told reporters: “I think they’re going to be very happy. And we’re going to be able to keep people in our country that are going to be very productive people, and in many cases, these companies are going to pay a lot of money for that, and they’re very happy about it.”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X on Saturday that the fee is “NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.”She added: “Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to reenter. H-1B visa holders can leave and reenter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.”What’s NextThe $100,000 fee will apply from the start of the next H-1B lottery cycle in 2026.