Sun Sep 21 14:00:35 UTC 2025: **Trump Administration Slaps $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas, Citing Job Displacement**
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has announced a significant increase in the fee for H-1B visa applications, hiking the cost to $100,000. The White House justified the move by releasing a fact sheet, claiming the visas are being abused and lead to the displacement of American workers by lower-paid foreign labor.
The White House document states that the proportion of IT workers holding H-1B visas has surged from 32% in 2003 to over 65% in recent years. It further claims unemployment among recent computer science and engineering graduates in the US is significantly higher than that of other fields like biology or art history, and that the number of foreign STEM workers has more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, while overall STEM employment only increased by 44.5%.
The fact sheet highlights several examples of companies allegedly laying off American workers while simultaneously seeking H-1B visa approvals. One unnamed company was approved for over 5,000 H-1B workers while reportedly laying off 16,000 US employees, and another was approved for almost 1,700 H-1B workers despite announcing the layoff of 2,400 employees in Oregon.
“Voters gave President Trump a resounding mandate to put American workers first, and he has worked every day to deliver on that commitment,” the White House stated, emphasizing the administration’s focus on bringing jobs back to the US.
The move is likely to have a significant impact on Indian tech professionals, who receive approximately 71-72% of all H-1B visas issued.
The Indian government has responded, stating that it is studying the full implications of the new fee, including potential humanitarian consequences and disruptions to families. “Industry in both India and the US has a stake in innovation and creativity and can be expected to consult on the best path forward,” said Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.
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