Trump Boosts H-1B Visa Fees to Defend US Jobs

Clear Facts

• The White House announced a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applicants, signed into action by President Donald Trump.
• This move aims to ensure only highly skilled foreign workers are brought into the country, prioritizing jobs for American workers.
• The H-1B program remains limited to 85,000 visas yearly and is criticized for enabling employers to hire lower-cost foreign labor while Americans lose jobs.

The Trump administration has taken decisive action on the skilled worker visa program, targeting what officials say is a loophole allowing foreign workers to displace Americans.

President Trump signed a proclamation instituting a $100,000 application fee for all H-1B visa hopefuls, creating a high barrier to ensure only top talent is brought into the U.S. workforce.

“What this proclamation will do is raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000,” a White House official said Friday.

“This will ensure that the people they’re bringing in are actually very highly skilled, and that they’re not replaceable by American workers.”

This order restricts H-1B entry unless the significant fee is paid, which administration officials argue will protect American workers while still allowing exceptional talent access to U.S. opportunities.

“So it’ll protect American workers, but ensure that companies have a pathway to hire truly extraordinary people and bring them to the United States,” the official continued.

The H-1B visa program, established in 1990, has been the main access point for skilled foreign nationals entering the country, yet its lottery system and popularity with large tech employers have drawn criticism.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick commented on the new policy at the White House.

“If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land, train Americans,” Lutnick stated Friday.

“Stop bringing in people to take our jobs. That’s the policy here.”

Despite major layoffs over the past three years, large tech firms have continued using the H-1B system to bring in tens of thousands of foreign workers, according to federal immigration data.

Eric Ruark, an immigration expert, has been critical of this practice.

“At the same time large tech companies are laying people off they are claiming they don’t have sufficient workers,” Ruark stated.

“The H-1B program is designed specifically to allow employers to replace and displace qualified American workers with cheaper, often less competent foreign guest workers.”

This move reinforces a commitment to American workers, demanding that employers put citizens first in hiring decisions under the nation’s laws.

Stay informed on changes to immigration policy and what it means for American jobs and security.

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