Trump signs proclamation creating $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas

A $100, 000 application fee is required by US President Donald Trump in order for companies to sponsor employees with H-1B visas.

Trump also introduced a separate “gold card” visa for individuals who have to pay $1 million to expedite their immigration while also signing the proclamation during an event at the Oval Office.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

According to administration officials, the H1-B program’s modification would ensure that only those with the most unusual skill sets would be sponsored by employers.

He said, “We need great workers, and this pretty much guarantees that’s going to happen.”

However, such a high-cost will likely transform the H-1B system, which was established in 1990 to promote high-skilled, difficult-to-fill positions in fields like science, technology, engineering, and math.

People with bachelor’s degrees or higher are typically awarded the visas through a lottery system.

In response to Trump’s administration’s wider crackdown on immigration, which Trump has linked to increasing domestic labor, the program has received more scrutiny.

The Trump administration has also attempted to impose stricter regulations on international students studying in the US, including a ban on foreigners from several nations and access to social media accounts.

The government has previously considered eliminating the lottery system in favor of higher-paying employers.

H-1B program supporters claim that it gives Americans the best and brightest jobs, giving them an advantage over foreign competitors.

Critics have long alleged that businesses have abused the program, using it to demand lower wages and impose fewer labor protections.

Any significant change would be the hardest hit to the technology industry.

More than 10,000 H-1B visas were awarded to Amazon this year, making it by far the top recipient. Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple, and Google followed the business.

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, California has the highest number of H-1B workers geographically.

In addition, 71 percent of H-1B visa applicants came from India, which was the country with the highest percentage of applicants last year. Using government data, China ranked second, only slightly behind.