The president has signed a proclamation that will require a $100,000 visa fee for highly-skilled foreign workers,
President Donald Trump’s move to require a $100,000 visa fee for highly-skilled foreign workers will affect Amazon and other top tech companies the most, according to government data.
H-1B visas are issue through a lottery system. The data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows Amazon was the largest H-1B visa sponsor in the 2025 fiscal year, with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google.Why It Matters
The H-1B program allows U.S employers to temporarily employ foreign workers for jobs in specialty occupations. Congress makes 65,000 H-1B visas available for workers with a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent and 20,000 more for those with a master’s degree or higher.
Trump’s proclamation imposing the $100,000 application fee could deal a particular blow to the technology sector, as companies often rely on the visas for high-skilled jobs they find difficult to fill.
The program has come under scrutiny against a backdrop of a wide-ranging immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, with critics saying employers are using the visas to bring workers from abroad to take American jobs at a fraction of the cost, while others say the visas are needed to bring the best talent to the U.
