It looks like hiring H-1B visa workers is about to get a whole lot more expensive.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that includes changes to the H-1B visa program, which many tech companies use to hire thousands of skilled foreign workers every year.
The order includes imposing an H-1B application fee of $100,000. The executive order said the fee would need to be paid in order for applications to be considered.
The White House told Business Insider on Saturday that the new rules would only affect new applicants, though that is not spelled out in the executive order itself.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who spoke alongside Trump from the Oval Office on Friday, said it would be a yearly fee for companies that hire H-1B workers. Officials said the fee would help ensure the visa is used to bring in workers who are actually very highly skilled and not to replace American workers.
"Either the person is very valuable to the company and America, or they're going to depart and the company is going to hire an American," Lutnick said, adding the changes would encourage companies to train Americans instead of bringing in foreign workers.
According to the executive order, the new fee requirement will take effect on September 21 and expire after one year, pending an extension.
Some of the top tech companies sponsoring H-1B visas include Amazon, Microsoft, Google's parent company, Alphabet, Meta, and Apple. Because companies are required to disclose to the government what they pay H-1B workers, the data has offered insights into Big Tech salaries.
Trump calls out tech companies
In his executive order, Trump called out four tech companies that approved thousands of H-1B workers and also conducted layoffs. He did not name them, though they are likely Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, and Salesforce. Business Insider has reached out to the White House to confirm this.
Trump wrote about "one software company" that announced layoffs of over 15,000 employees, an "IT firm" that laid off 2,400 employees in Oregon in July, a company that has reduced its workforce by 27,000 employees since 2022, and a fourth company that eliminated 1,000 jobs in February.
As Business Insider has previously reported, Microsoft has said it will shed about 15,000 employees this year, and Amazon has cut at least 27,000 employees since late 2022. Intel, which has previously found itself in the crosshairs of the Trump administration and is also getting a 9.9% stake from the government, has a major presence in Oregon, where it made cuts in July. The fourth company that Trump referred to was likely Salesforce.
Gold Card visa
Trump also signed an executive order on Friday establishing the "Gold Card" visa, an idea he floated earlier this year that would allow wealthy foreigners to obtain residency in the United States for a high cost.
The visa would allow wealthy individuals to pay $1 million for residency. Corporations can also sponsor individuals to get residency by paying a $2 million gift under the program, according to a new government website detailing the "Trump Gold Card."
Do you have a story to share about H-1B visas? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@bjinnox.com.
