Trump insists major tech firms are ‘very happy’ to pay more than 10 times what they’re paying now for foreign workers. Will companies adjust their budgets or try to find Americans to fill the jobs?
The tech industry is reeling from President Trump’s latest executive order, which requires H-1B visa applicants to pay a $100,000 fee. Tech companies are the biggest beneficiaries of H-1B visas, raising questions about whether the added cost will harm their ability to fill key roles.
The six-figure charge is a significant increase from previous fees, which typically ranged from $2,000 to $5,000, CNBC reports. The edict also created mass confusion and even panic among current H-1B holders and employers, thanks to conflicting statements from the White House.
On Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the fee would be charged annually. The next day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt then tweeted, “This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.”
Specifically, it’s required for new H-1B employment-based applications filed after 12:01 a.m. ET on Sept. 21, 2025, not those who already have an H-1B visa.
There was also confusion about whether H-1B visa holders could travel. One man decided not to travel to his sister’s wedding in Korea since his visa application is still in process. Leavitt says people “can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would.”
The new policy expires on Sept. 25, 2026, though Trump reserves the right to extend it after next year’s lottery. That gives Silicon Valley leaders a few months to curry favor with the president and convince him to drop the fee. Congress could also step in; there have been bipartisan reform efforts in the past, though nothing really took off.
Trump insists that tech CEOs are on board. “I think they’re going to be very happy”, Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday. “We’re going to be able to keep people in our country 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.”
Secretary Lutnick echoed those claims. “All the big companies are on board”, he said.
