Trump Imposes $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visa Applicants, Raising Concerns for Indian Workers

US President Donald Trump has announced a $100,000 fee (over ₹88 lakh) for applicants to the H-1B visa programme, in a move designed to tighten immigration rules. The decision is expected to hit the technology sector hard, particularly companies dependent on skilled professionals from India and China.

Trump defended the move, arguing that it would ensure only the most talented workers were brought into the country. “We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” he said.

White House staff secretary Will Scharf echoed the president’s stance, describing the H-1B scheme as one of the most “abused visa systems” within America’s immigration framework. “What this proclamation will do is raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000. This will ensure that the people they’re bringing in are actually very highly skilled and that they’re not replaceable by American workers,” he explained.

The H-1B visa, created in 1990, allows US employers to recruit foreign professionals with specialised expertise in fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Applicants are required to hold at least a bachelor’s degree in relevant disciplines. Visas are initially valid for three years and can be extended to a maximum of six. For those awaiting a Green Card, permanent residency, the visa must be periodically renewed. The application process begins with online registration through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), after which a lottery system randomly selects candidates. Once approved, visa holders are guaranteed the same pay and working conditions as their American colleagues. However, the Trump administration is reportedly considering additional reforms to tighten the application process.

Indians continue to form the backbone of the H-1B programme. According to government data, they accounted for 71 percent of approved applicants last year, far ahead of China at 11.7 per cent. Major technology firms remain among the largest beneficiaries. In the first half of 2025, Amazon and its cloud computing arm AWS secured more than 12,000 approvals, while Microsoft and Meta each received over 5,000.

The introduction of the $100,000 fee is likely to present significant challenges for Indian professionals. Many face long delays in Green Card processing, forcing them to renew their visas multiple times. Each renewal would now cost more than ₹88 lakh, a burden likely to deter thousands of applicants.

The Trump administration is also reintroducing a stricter citizenship test, similar to the one rolled out during his previous presidency in 2020 but later scrapped by Joe Biden. Applicants will need to study from a pool of 128 questions on American history and politics and must answer 12 out of 20 correctly in an oral exam.

In addition, Trump signed an executive order to launch a ‘Gold Card’ visa scheme, priced at $1 million for individuals and $2 million for businesses. The programme is aimed at attracting top-tier talent and wealthy investors. “We think it’s going to be very successful... It’s going to raise billions of dollars, which will reduce taxes, pay off debt, and do other good things,”Trump said.​