The subject of H1-B visas has long been a controversial one, particularly amid the Trump administration’s efforts to prioritize American workers and realign the country’s immigration system.
To that end, on Friday, Trump signed a proclamation requiring an annual visa fee of $100,000 for high-skill foreign workers, as Breitbart reports, sparking criticism from former Biden-era officials and near panic from tech industry giants.
The president’s proclamation is set to bring about a noteworthy increase in visa fees for this category of worker, taking it from $215 to $100,000.
H1-B visas are designed to facilitate entry for high-skilled foreign workers suited for jobs American employers suggest are difficult to fill.
Detractors of the program argue that it is a conduit for overseas job seekers who are willing to work for wages well below those otherwise commanded by American workers.
Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that the Friday move will almost certainly result in the issuance of significantly fewer such visas, because the economics of the proposition for employers are now dramatically changed, and it will not make financial sense for many companies in the way it once did.
Lutnick explained, “If you’re going to train people, you’re going to train Americans. If you have a very sophisticated engineer, and you want to bring them in …then you can pay $100,000 a year for your H1-B visa.”
Though Trump’s move has garnered support from those who have fought against the widespread use of H1-B visas in recent years, others, including Doug Rand, a Biden-era U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official, vehemently disagreed.
Declaring the increased fee “ludicrously lawless,” Rand added, “This isn’t real policy – it’s fan service for immigration restrictionists.”
“Trump gets his headlines, and inflicts a jolt of panic, and doesn’t care whether this survives first contact with the courts,” Rand stated.
Immigration lawyers and representatives from tech companies jumped into panicked action on Friday, as Politico noted, advising clients and workers traveling abroad to return stateside ahead of midnight on Sunday, when the new policy was slated to take effect.
The White House, for its part, took action to tamp down the hyperbole, assuring all parties involved that the proclamation does not impact those with a current visa and will only apply to future applicants in the February visa lottery who are currently outside the country.
As has been the case with virtually every headline-making order issued by Trump thus far in his second term, lawsuits opposing the H1-B changes are already reportedly in the works.
With some complaining that ambiguities in the order have left many open questions regarding implementation, it seems clear that the emergence of additional administration guidance – not to mention litigation – is almost certainly on the horizon.
