Trump to impose $100,000 fee per year for H-1B visas, in blow to tech

[Lè Crayons]

Of course la, which company wants to pay $100k for each person's H1B visa

Even if they dont mind getting another employee, it will be very disruptive to their operations

The 100k is only for new applicants. Those existing ones don't need to pay 100k when they return to the US.

 

[fortunehunter]

quickly call the employees not to fly off from US to their home country,
if not come back , donno will need to deal with $100K fees for H1B. or not.hehe

someone commented


like that means.. they either become US citizen, or they go back.. must pay $100k to come back and still subject to whether can renew their H1B visa .

Trump sibei pro americans.

Go read the comment in X seen they also share the same issue with us talent from NTUC

 

[focus1974]

R our leaders pro local born Singaporeans like him too?

correction.
Pro-Singaporeans , Pro-Americans.
No differentiate native or new. They are all citizens.

You must give new citizens benefit of the doubt. They took the step to convert.
But it's up to government to prevent exploitation and plug loopholes.

 

[matrix05]

Welcome to SG.
Those cream worth $100k pa can go US. SG can sapu the leftovers.

 

[ghregular]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-us100000-fee-h1b-worker-visas-tech-5359021

"If you're going to train somebody, you're going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land," said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. "Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs."

 

[Lè Crayons]

Trump shu shu really got guts to do this.

Our men in white, won't ever do this.

 

[johnsonheng]

pressure modi,

a lot of grad jobless , this will put pressure on modi adminstration.

 

[coyote]

Make Singapore Properties Huater Again!

Good for Singaporeans in general with among the highest home ownership in the world.

 

[focus1974]

Welcome to SG.
Those cream worth $100k pa can go US. SG can sapu the leftovers.

we just need to put up $20k application fee. hehe... earn a bit mah

 

[focus1974]

pressure modi,

a lot of grad jobless , this will put pressure on modi adminstration.

yup. now everything trump do is ..to make USA win against China.
If not, USA is gonna collapse. The ability to issue debt and keep the USD the global trade currency is the only way to ensure survival and dominance.

 

[asymmetric]

Welcome to sg

 

[apple459721]

 

[Sauron]

Heng we have no such thing ... oh wait

 

[asymmetric]

Heng we have no such thing ... oh wait

We pay them come here

 

[Sauron]

We pay them come here

Us lost is our gain ... wahhhhh

 

[Youngpang7]

SG has one of the highest expat and new citizen populations in the world. Should we start thinking about introducing restrictions like what Trump has done to protect more Singaporeans? Can we afford to?

 

[Shion]

65.57% say no, they want status quo.

 

[mel1888]

SG has one of the highest expat and new citizen populations in the world. Should we start thinking about introducing restrictions like what Trump has done to protect more Singaporeans? Can we afford to?

Not a bad idea, SG govt can huat like COE.
Likely 90% drop in JHK workers & sinkies can fill up the void or not. Then prices also go up.

 

[LWZ]

some passengers happy cos they have more adjacent seat spaces from disembarking passengers?

the cabin crew must have been the happiest, massive drop in number of times they get buzzed onboard

 

[Joe Maya]

https://www.reuters.com/business/me...h-1b-visas-bloomberg-news-reports-2025-09-19/

• Visas are used principally by tech sector
• Microsoft, JPMorgan advised H-1B holders to remain in US
• Over 70% of beneficiaries of H-1B visas enter US from India
• Latest move in Trump's broader immigration crackdown

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Friday it would ask companies to pay $100,000 per year for H-1B worker visas, prompting some big tech companies to warn visa holders to stay in the U.S. or quickly return.


Since taking office in January, Trump has kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, including moves to limit some forms of legal immigration. The step to reshape the H-1B visa program represents his administration's most high-profile effort yet to rework temporary employment visas.

"If you're going to train somebody, you're going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land," said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs."
Trump's threat to crack down on H-1B visas has become a major flashpoint with the tech industry, which contributed millions of dollars to his presidential campaign.
responded to the announcement by advising employees holding H-1B visas to remain in the United States, according to internal emails reviewed by Reuters.

They advised employees on the H-1B visas who were outside the U.S. to return before midnight on Saturday (0400 GMT on Sunday), when the new fee structures are set to take effect.
"H-1B visa holders who are currently in the U.S. should remain in the U.S. and avoid international travel until the government issues clear travel guidance," read an email sent to JPMorgan employees by Ogletree Deakins, a company that handles visa applications for the U.S. investment bank.
Microsoft, JPMorgan, law firm Ogletree Deakins, which represents the bank on the issue, and Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Critics of the H-1B program, including many U.S. technology workers, argue that it allows firms to suppress wages and sideline Americans who could do the jobs. Supporters, including Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO and former Trump ally Elon Musk, say it brings in highly skilled workers essential to filling talent gaps and keeping firms competitive. Musk, himself a naturalized U.S. citizen born in South Africa, has held an H-1B visa.

Some employers have exploited the program to hold down wages, disadvantaging U.S. workers, according to the executive order Trump signed on Friday.
The number of foreign science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers in the U.S. more than doubled between 2000 and 2019 to nearly 2.5 million, even as overall STEM employment only increased 44.5% during that time, it said.

MOVE COULD DETER GLOBAL TALENT​

Adding new fees "creates disincentive to attract the world's smartest talent to the U.S.," said Deedy Das, partner at venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, on X. "If the U.S. ceases to attract the best talent, it drastically reduces its ability to innovate and grow the economy."

The move could add millions of dollars in costs for companies, which could hit smaller tech firms and start-ups particularly hard.
Reuters was not immediately able to establish how the fee would be administered. Lutnick said the visa would cost $100,000 a year for each of the three years of its duration but that the details were "still being considered."

Under the current system, entering the lottery for the visa requires a small fee and, if approved, subsequent fees could amount to several thousand dollars.
Some analysts suggested the fee may force companies to move some high-value work overseas, hampering America's position in the high-stakes artificial intelligence race with China.
"In the short term, Washington may collect a windfall; in the long term, the U.S. risks taxing away its innovation edge, trading dynamism for short-sighted protectionism," said eMarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman.

INDIA ACCOUNTS FOR MOST H-1B VISAS​

India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7%, according to government data.
In the first half of 2025, Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab and its cloud-computing unit, AWS, had received approval for more than 12,000 H-1B visas, while Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab had over 5,000 H-1B visa approvals each.
Lutnick said on Friday that "all the big companies are on board" with $100,000 a year for H-1B visas.
"We've spoken to them," he said.
Many large U.S. tech, banking and consulting companies declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Indian embassy in Washington and the Chinese Consulate General in New York also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH.O), opens new tab, an IT services company that relies extensively on H-1B visa holders, closed down nearly 5%. U.S.-listed shares of Indian tech firms Infosys and Wipro closed between 2% and 5% lower.

Companies most dependent on H-1B visas

IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN​

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, questioned the legality of the new fees. "Congress has only authorized the government to set fees to recover the cost of adjudicating an application," he said on Bluesky.
The H-1B program offers 65,000 visas annually to employers bringing in temporary foreign workers in specialized fields, with another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees.
Nearly all the visa fees have to be paid by the employers. The H-1B visas are approved for a period of three to six years.
Trump also signed an executive order on Friday to create a "gold card" for individuals who can afford to pay $1 million for U.S. permanent residency.