Trump imposes $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas to prioritize ‘highly skilled’ workers

Highlights:

In a major move that could affect thousands of Indian professionals working in the US, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday (19) 2025, imposing a dramatic hike in H-1B visa fees. The annual fee for the popular work visa has now been raised to $100,000 per applicant—a step the administration says is meant to safeguard American jobs and ensure only the most skilled workers are brought into the country.

White House staff secretary Will Scharf described the H-1B program as “one of the most abused visa systems” and stressed that it was originally designed to allow highly skilled foreign workers to fill jobs that Americans are unwilling or unable to do. “This measure ensures that those coming in are actually very highly skilled and are not replacing American workers,” Scharf said.

President Trump, signing the order in the Oval Office alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, reiterated that the U.S. needs workers but “great workers”—those who create opportunities rather than take them away. “We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said.

Secretary Lutnick added that the current employment-based green card system had historically brought in 281,000 people per year, earning on average $66,000 annually, and were five times more likely to rely on government assistance programs. “It was illogical — the only country in the world taking in the bottom quartile,” he said. Lutnick argued that the new policy will prioritize top talent, generate over $100 billion for the U.S. Treasury, and foster entrepreneurship that creates more jobs for Americans.