The Trump administration's imposition of a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications from overseas since last September is significantly altering the actual beneficiary structure of this U.S. high-skilled immigration program. The report points out that this adjustment, combined with the salary-based allocation rules effective since February this year and the Department of Labor's recent proposal to raise the minimum wage requirement for H-1B visas, is pushing out smaller businesses, non-profit organizations, and rural hospitals from participating in the program. However, this round of reform has not broadly suppressed H-1B demand; instead, it has intensified inequality and polarization. The new fee primarily applies to employees hired overseas, meaning large technology companies and similar entities can still circumvent additional costs by hiring international students already present in the United States who need to change their status, especially given their stronger financial capacity, which limits their exposure to the impact. The Trump administration claims this move aims to encourage employers to prioritize hiring American workers and protect wage levels. Yet immigration lawyers and relevant institutions argue that the reform is actually undermining certain employers—those most reliant on the H-1B visa program but least able to afford the added costs.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862501764897995/
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