WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump set annual fee of $100,000 for H-1B worker visa in major blow for immigrants. POTUS signed executive order imposing annual fee for H-1B visa.
Trump said that in some cases, companies will have to pay amount for workers visa. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stood beside him, explaining the logic: “Either the worker is irreplaceable, or the company will have to hire an American.” The fee, he said, would apply not just to new hires but to renewals, pushing companies to think twice before bringing in foreign workers.
Tech CEOs felt heat as massive companies like Amazon, Apple long relied on the H-1B program to bring in top-tier talent. Now, a one-year fee trial starting September 21 threatened to reshape their hiring strategies.
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Trump didn’t hold back, calling out unnamed tech firms that had laid off thousands of employees while still approving large numbers of H-1B workers. Observers quickly connected the dots: Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, and Salesforce had all announced major cuts in recent years. The message was clear, foreign workers were welcome only if they were truly essential.
But Trump had another surprise. Alongside the H-1B shakeup, he unveiled the “Gold Card” visa, a golden ticket for wealthy foreigners willing to pay $1 million or $2 million through corporate sponsorship for US residency.
The bold move sent whispers through boardrooms and dinner tables alike: the rules of the game were changing, and America’s tech landscape would never be the same.
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