Trump Signs Order Imposing $100,000 Fee on Skilled Worker Visas

United States President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order introducing a $100,000 annual fee on companies applying for H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers.

According to the BBC, the policy takes effect from September 21, 2025, and will apply to all new applications, renewable annually for up to six years. The H-1B programme, capped at 85,000 visas per year, has been widely used by tech firms and startups to hire highly educated foreign professionals.

Until now, companies typically paid about $1,500 in related fees, but the new requirement represents a sharp increase.

“Companies need to decide — is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or should they head home and go hire an American?” said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, adding that “all of the big companies are on board.”

Critics, however, warned the measure could weaken US competitiveness in the global market. Immigration lawyer Tahmina Watson argued that the new cost would exclude many employers. “This $100,000 as an entry point is going to have a devastating impact. Almost everyone’s going to be priced out. Many small or medium-sized companies simply can’t find qualified Americans to do the job,” she said.

The order also unveiled a “gold card” system, which will fast-track residency for wealthy investors in exchange for fees starting at £1 million.

This is the latest in a series of immigration-related changes under Trump. In June, the US announced a travel ban covering 12 countries, while last month it launched a pilot scheme requiring bonds of up to $15,000 for some tourist and business visa applicants.