The Trump administration is raising the fee for the H-1B visa, a move that will cost employers over one hundred thousand dollars per foreign worker. The new price is set at one hundred three thousand, two hundred sixty-five dollars. This affects major technology companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, which are the top three employers of H-1B workers. The increase follows a previous attempt to raise the fee to one hundred thousand dollars, which was struck down by a federal judge in June, but not before more than seventy employers had already paid that higher amount.
The administration鈥檚 broader immigration strategy is pressuring noncitizens to leave voluntarily, using civil fines and threats of asset seizure. This approach extends beyond new arrivals, creating legal hurdles for immigrants already in the country. Advocates and business leaders warn the administration may next target the Optional Practical Training program, which allows international students to work in the US for twelve months, with extensions for some STEM graduates. The Department of Homeland Security has hinted that this program could also carry a one hundred thousand dollar fee.
Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, an immigration reform group founded by Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives, called the fee hike unlawful. He said the purpose is to eliminate the H-1B and OPT programs, which would have devastating consequences for companies and hiring. Schulte noted that businesses would start elsewhere and hire elsewhere if these pathways are closed.
The higher fees are not just a problem for large tech firms. The previous fee increase worsened labor shortages in rural hospitals and public schools in Alaska, both of which rely on high-skilled immigrant workers due to local population decline. For these communities, a one hundred thousand dollar fee is far more damaging than it is for companies like Amazon or Meta.
The administration is also targeting other legal immigrants. The State Department will revoke up to two hundred thousand business and travel visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who applied for asylum after arriving in the US. This move limits their ability to travel abroad and is part of a broader effort to dismantle the humanitarian immigration system. A State Department spokesperson said the action closes a loophole where people enter on nonimmigrant visas and then file for asylum.
Those who applied for asylum in this manner did not break the law, as a person must be on US soil to apply. The administration has already imposed an effective asylum ban at the border, reduced refugee admissions to record lows, and prioritized resettlement for white South Africans while denying most other applicants. The cumulative effect is that legal immigration pathways are becoming more expensive, more bureaucratic, and in many cases, closed entirely.
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