What is the US H-1B visa, for whom did Trump increase the fee

A new executive order signed by US President Donald Trump has increased the application fee for the popular H-1B visa program for skilled foreign workers to $100,000. Failure to deposit this money will result in limited entry into the United States.

The order states that this visa program has been abused for a long time and is affecting the employment of US citizens. However, top entrepreneurs in the technology sector, including Elon Musk, say that this program is helping the US attract the world's best talents.

At the same time, Trump has introduced a new 'gold card' system, where certain immigrants can quickly complete the visa process for a fee starting at one million pounds.

On Friday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, standing next to Trump in the Oval Office, said, 'The H-1B visa will cost $100,000 a year. Big companies have agreed to this. Now we should train our own young people.'

A maximum of 85,000 H-1B visas have been issued each year since 2004. Until now, the administrative fee for this visa was an average of $1,500.

According to USCIS, the number of H-1B visa applications in the upcoming fiscal year has dropped to 359,000, the lowest in four years. Amazon received the most visas last year, followed by Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google.

What is an H-1B visa?

H-1B is a type of non-immigrant visa. Through it, skilled workers from different countries can temporarily stay in America and work for companies there. The initial H-1B visa is valid for three years. It can be extended for a maximum of six years.

During this period, workers can apply for an American green card. Once they get a green card or permanent citizenship, the H-1B visa can be extended at will.

As a result of this new decision by the Trump administration, the path to obtaining citizenship in America has become somewhat complicated, especially the fee imposed on the H-1B visa, which many consider to be 'unusual'.

Do you have to pay the fee every year?

Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said, "This is not an annual fee. This is a one-time fee, which will only apply to new H-1B visa applicants. H-1B visa holders will be able to travel and enter the country like everyone else.

This only applies to new visas, not visa renewals or current visa holders. It will only apply to new applicants in the next lottery cycle."

After Trump signed the "Nonimmigrant Worker Entry Restriction," speculation began that H-1B visa holders would have to pay $100,000 to re-enter the United States once they leave the country. This has raised concerns about many jobs.