By Toyin Akande
Copyright bizwatchnigeria
United States President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order introducing a $100,000 annual fee for companies seeking H-1B visas to hire skilled foreign workers, the BBC reported on Saturday.
The policy, set to take effect on September 21, 2025, will apply to all new H-1B applications and must be paid each year for up to six years. The programme, capped at 85,000 visas annually, has long been vital to U.S. tech firms and startups looking to attract highly educated foreign talent. Until now, application fees averaged about $1,500.
“Companies need to decide — is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or should they head home and go hire an American?” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “All of the big companies are on board.”
Critics warn the steep fee could cripple America’s global competitiveness, particularly in the technology sector. “This $100,000 as an entry point is going to have a devastating impact,” said Seattle-based immigration attorney Tahmina Watson. “Almost everyone’s going to be priced out. Many small or medium-sized companies simply can’t find qualified Americans to do the job.”
The order also introduces a new “gold card” fast-track immigration system for high-net-worth individuals, with fees starting at £1 million.
It follows a series of restrictive immigration measures by the Trump administration, including a pilot programme last month requiring bonds of up to $15,000 for certain tourist and business visas, and a June travel ban targeting 12 countries.
