Trump administration to add $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
The Trump administration is planning to add a $100,000 to the fee for H-1B visa applications, taking aim at a program that is used to attract highly skilled workers to the U.S.
The additional fee, which was confirmed to CBS News by a White House official, would impact employers including tech giants such as Amazon, IBM, Microsoft and Google, which have relied on the program to hire foreign workers.
H-1B visas are already costly to obtain, ranging from about $1,700 to $4,500, depending on whether the visa is expedited, which is more expensive. The fees are typically considered a business expense of the employer.
President Trump could sign a proclamation adding the new fee as soon as Friday, and which would restrict H-1B workers from entering the U.S. unless accompanied by the $100,000 payment, according to Bloomberg News, which earlier reported the plan.
The new fee comes amid a debate over the H-1B visa, which some critics say enables companies to hire foreign applicants at lower salaries than American workers. Tech companies have been among the primary beneficiaries of the visa program, with Amazon receiving the most H1-B visas of any business in 2024, Department of Labor data shows.
Last year, the most popular type of job for H-1B visas was software developer. To receive an H-1B visa, an applicant needs to have at least a bachelor's degree in their field and have been offered a temporary job by a U.S. company.
President Trump plans to order the Labor Secretary to start a new rule-making process that would update wage levels for the program, Bloomberg reported. Currently, U.S. companies must offer the prevailing wage or the actual wage of similarly qualified workers, whichever is higher, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The program is capped at 65,000 new visas each year, although an additional 20,000 can be issued for employees with a master's degree or higher, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
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