Bloomberg: Trump Plans H-1B Visa Reforms, Application Fees to Skyrocket to $100,000

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign a presidential proclamation this Friday that will make significant reforms to the H-1B specialty occupation visa system, dramatically increasing application fees to $100,000 in an effort to curb the abuse of this visa. 

Bloomberg News cited a senior White House official familiar with the matter, reporting that those who do not pay this fee will be restricted from entering the country to participate in the program. This policy is expected to have a profound impact on the technology industry.

The White House stated that the current H-1B system is being exploited by certain companies to hire foreign workers at lower wages, leading to the displacement of American workers and creating a "national security threat." The Trump administration emphasized that such practices suppress overall wage levels and discourage Americans from pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

According to a White House policy brief obtained by Bloomberg, Trump will require the Secretary of Labor to initiate a rulemaking process to adjust the "current prevailing wage standards" for H-1B visas, preventing companies from outsourcing labor by lowering salaries and harming the rights of American workers.

The current cost of applying for an H-1B visa is far below $100,000, including a $215 lottery registration fee and a $780 I-129 nonimmigrant work petition filing fee. It remains unclear whether the new policy will add an additional $100,000 on top of these existing fees. However, White House spokesperson Levitt shared the news on social media platform X when it was disclosed.

The H-1B visa has an annual cap of 85,000, primarily allocated through a random lottery. However, some companies have been reported to "flood" the system with multiple applications to increase their chances of being selected, thereby monopolizing the quota. Bloomberg reports that these companies are mostly not traditional tech giants but outsourcing or staffing companies that rely on hiring foreign workers at low wages.

The H-1B visa has long been a crucial channel for the U.S. technology industry to attract global high-tech talent, covering positions such as software engineers, project managers, and other IT roles. The introduction of this new policy is seen as the latest chapter in the Trump administration's tough stance on immigration, posing a major challenge for businesses that rely on foreign technical labor.

The White House statement said the reform would help "clean up abuses" and ensure higher certainty for legitimate applications. It also urged companies to prioritize American workers rather than seeking low-wage foreign labor to cut costs.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana introduced the "American Tech Workforce Act" this week, further taking legislative action against the H-1B system. The bill proposes raising the minimum salary requirement for H-1B visas from the current $60,000 to $150,000, abolishing the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, and eliminating the lottery system in favor of a "highest bidder" approach for visa allocation.

Braun stated that the current system has been "hijacked" by large tech companies, which bring in low-wage foreign workers, not only suppressing overall wages but also outsourcing high-paying jobs that should belong to American youth. He described this practice as "offshore outsourcing" and criticized such corporate behavior as "unpatriotic."

"Companies are sacrificing the career prospects of American workers to save costs. We cannot allow this to continue," Braun emphasized during an interview with the conservative media outlet Breitbart News.

The "American Tech Workforce Act" is now under review by the Senate committee and is expected to face strong opposition from business lobbying groups and immigration reform opponents. Although similar proposals have historically failed to pass Congress, this move reflects the conservative forces' efforts to reshape economic immigration policies ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843755712867531/

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