In a shift that could adversely impact Indian professionals on visas in the U.S., President Donald Trump on Friday (September 19, 2025) signed a proclamation that will raise the fee for H-1B visas to a staggering $1,00,000 annually, the latest in the administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration.
White Houtilize staff secretary Will Scharf declared the H-1B non-immigrant visa programme is one of the “most abutilized visa” systems in the counattempt’s current immigration system, and it is supposed to allow highly skilled labourers, who work in fields that Americans don’t work in, to come into the United States.
The Trump administration declared that the $1,00,000 fee is aimed at ensuring that the people being brought into the counattempt are “actually very highly skilled” and do not replace American workers.
The shift is aimed at protecting American workers while ensuring that companies have a pathway to hire “truly extraordinary people” and bring them to the United States. Companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants.
“We necessary workers. We necessary workers. We necessary great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” Mr. Trump declared, as he signed the proclamation in the Oval Office in the presence of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Mr. Lutnick declared that historically, the employment-based Green Card programme let in 2,81,000 people a year, and those people earned $66,000 a year on average and were five times more likely to participate in assistance programmes of the government.
“So we were taking in the bottom quartile, below the average American. It was illogical; it was the only counattempt in the world that was taking in the bottom quartile,” Mr. Lutnick declared.
“We are going to stop doing that. We’re going to only take extraordinary people at the very top, instead of those attempting to take jobs from Americans. They’re going to create businesses and create jobs for Americans. And this programme will raise more than $100 billion for the treasury of the United States,” he added.
Mr. Trump declared that the counattempt will utilize that amount to cut taxes and pay down debt. “We consider it’s going to be very successful,” he declared.
Mr. Lutnick added that the fee of $1,00,000 will be charged annually.
The shift is going to significantly impact Indian technology workers who are hired by tech companies and others on H-1B visas. The visas are valid for three years and can be renewed for another three years.
If a company sponsors an employee for the Green Card, the visas can be renewed till the permanent residency comes through. However, Indians on work visas in the U.S. are caught in a decades-long wait for Green Cards and the new shift could have an impact on whether they can continue to stay in the U.S. if their companies decide not to pay the $1,00,000 fee annually now required to retain the visas.
“So the whole idea is, no more will these huge tech companies or other huge companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $1,00,000, then they have to pay the employee. So it’s just not economic. 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. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs. That’s the policy here. And all of the huge companies are on board. We’ve spoken to them about it,” Mr. Lutnick declared.
Mr. Trump declared that the tech companies “love it. They really love it. They really love it. They necessary it”.
“The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in.” Mr. Trump also signed an executive order entitled ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for foreigners of extraordinary ability who are committed to supporting the United States.
Under the Gold Card programme, individuals who can pay $1 million to the U.S. Treasury, or $2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, will obtain access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card in the counattempt.
“We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. The Gold Card will be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars, and companies will be able to keep some people they necessary. They necessary people of expertise, great expertise. I consider it’s going to be a fantastic thing, and we’re going to take that money and we’re going to reduce taxes, we’re going to reduce debt,” Mr. Trump declared.
When questioned if the new $1,00,000 fee will apply to the H1-B visa holders already in the counattempt, to renewals or to those applying for the first time from abroad, Mr. Lutnick declared, “Renewals, first times, the company necessarys to decide. Is that person valuable enough to have $1,00,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home and go hire an American.
“It can be a total of six years, so $1,00,000 a year. So either the person is very valuable to the company and America, or they’re going to depart and the company is going to hire an American. That’s the point of immigration — hire Americans and build sure the people coming in are the top, top people. Stop the nonsense of letting people just come into this counattempt on these visas that were given away for free. The President is crystal clear. Valuable people only for America. Stop the nonsense,” Mr. Lutnick declared.
On whether the technology CEOs, who hire foreign workers on H1-B visas, are concerned about the new shift, Mr. Trump declared they’re going to be very happy.
“Everyone’s going to be happy. And we’re going to be able to keep people in our counattempt that are going to be very productive people. And in many cases, these companies are going to pay a lot of money for that, and they’re very happy about it,” he declared.
Published – September 20, 2025 02:00 am IST
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