In a surprise move on Friday afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation hiking the HB visa employer fee to $100,000 per applicant. Aimed at reserving spots for “highly skilled talent whom American workers cannot replace,” the nine-figure price tag marks a seismic shift for companies recruiting international professionals.
Historically, U.S. firms have paid just a few thousand dollars per HB hire. But under the new rule, only petitions backed by the six-figure fee can clear entry restrictions, effective September 21. With an annual cap of 85,000 new visas, competition was already fierce—now the cost barrier soars.
“The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security,” the proclamation states. At the White House signing, President Trump added, “So there’s an incentive to hire American.”
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, present at the ceremony, challenged employers: “Is the person valuable enough to have $100,000 a year payment to the government? Or they should head home and they should go hire an American?”
Tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft and Google, long dependent on international talent—especially in software and R&D—are bracing for impact. Analysts warn the steep fee could backfire: some roles may shift overseas to avoid the surcharge, and global students could rethink U.S. campuses.
For startups and scale-ups, the fee hike could throttle growth and innovation. Entrepreneurs juggling tight budgets will need to rethink talent pipelines—could remote collaboration and distributed teams become the new norm?
As the dust settles, the industry faces a reckoning: weigh the true cost of visas against the value of global talent. Will the $100K fee reshape the future of work, or will it drive companies and minds beyond U.S. borders?
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
