Trump signs order imposing $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visa

President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a new annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, among other changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers that has come under scrutiny by the administration. H-1B visas are meant to bring the best and brightest foreigners for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find difficult to fill with qualified U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The program instead has turned into a pipeline for overseas workers who are often willing to work for as little as $60,000 annually. That is far less than $100,000-plus salaries typically paid to U.S. technology workers. Trump insisted that the tech industry would not oppose the move. "I think they're going to be very happy," he said.

.@POTUS signs a Proclamation to restrict the entry of certain H-1B aliens into the U.S. as nonimmigrant workers, requiring a $100,000 payment to accompany or supplement H-1B petitions for new applications.

AMERICA FIRST! pic.twitter.com/AzAUJzXawV

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 19, 2025

Meanwhile, White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf emphasised that the proclamation will ensure that companies bring very high-skilled workers to the US, those who are not replaceable by American employees."One of the most abused visa systems is the H1-B non-immigrant visa programme. This is supposed to allow highly skilled labourers who work in fields that Americans don't work in to come into the United States of America. What this proclamation will do is raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000. This will ensure that the people they're bringing in are actually very highly skilled and that they're not replaceable by American workers," he said.