President Donald Trump announced Friday that his employer must pay for his H-1B visa.
CNBC reported on Saturday, with businesses responding with social media users reporting that they have posted about what the change means for H-1B visa workers.
Here’s a breakdown of the new H-1B prices:
What has Trump changed?
As of Sunday, an H-1B visa application requires a payment of $100,000. Previously, visa fees ranged between $2,000 and $5,000 per application, depending on the size of our company.
Employers must currently have payment documentation before filing the H-1B petition on behalf of the worker. According to the White House, applicants will limit petitions for 12 months until payment is made.
Who does this affect?
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the fees will only apply to new H-1B applicants, not renewed or current visa holders, and will be implemented in the upcoming lottery cycle.
She said anyone who already has an H-1B visa and who is outside the US does not have to pay to re-enter the country.
Leavit also revealed that $100,000 is not a one-off payment and not an annual bill after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the fees would be annually on Friday.
According to the White House, immigrant exceptions are made, which are essential to national interests by the Secretary of Homeland Security and do not pose a threat to U.S. security or welfare.
According to the White House, employees with BIVAS that have started their start date by October 2026 will receive additional guidance to prevent these temporary business visas from being used as a workaround for the H-1B visa.
Who are these workers and why are they needed?
The H-1B visa is designed to allow highly skilled foreign professionals to work in the profession when employers are unable to find qualified American workers to play their roles. Many jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics or STEM that generally require at least a bachelor’s degree.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, companies in the high-tech and financial sector accounted for 71% and 11.7%, particularly skilled immigrants from India and China, particularly from India and China, respectively.
How many H-1B visas does the high-tech industry use each year?
According to USCIS, the current annual limit for H-1B visas is 65,000, and adds 20,000 visas for foreign professionals who have obtained a master’s or doctoral degree from a US institution. The lottery system is used to select additional petitions if demand exceeds the cap.
More than 60% of approved H-1B workers have been working in computer-related jobs since 2012, according to Pew Research.
Amazon According to USCIS, it was the top employer of H-1B holders in 2025 and sponsored more than 10,000 applicants by the end of June. Microsoft, Meta And although the IT company Tata Consulting Services had over 5,000 each, apple and Google They each finished the top six with over 4,000 approvals.
Watch: CoreWeave CEO of H-1B Visa: Additional charge is “Gear Sand” for access to talent
