President Donald Trump has released a broad new immigration policy that radically changes the price and availability of H-1B visas.
Friday, he signed an executive order placing a whopping $100,000 application fee on H-1B visas, a step his administration claims will stem “overuse” of the program and encourage businesses to prioritize American employees.
From the Oval Office, Trump justified the move, claiming that it will guarantee that only the “best and brightest” overseas talent finds itself in the U.S. workforce. “We want great workers, and this essentially guarantees that that’s going to be what occurs,” he asserted. According to the order, H-1B visa petitions won’t be processed in the absence of payment confirmation.
Separately, Trump outlined a new initiative called the “gold card” program that provides a quick-track immigration path for rich foreigners. Under the plan, individuals can procure expedited visas for a fee of $1 million, while businesses can sponsor foreigners for $2 million. The plan was characterized by Trump’s staff as a mechanism to reroute immigration in favor of high-income earners and businesspeople.
The $100,000 H-1B fee was selected after consultations with American firms, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The payment mechanism is still being determined, with officials debating whether to charge $300,000 upfront for a three-year visa or $100,000 for each year. The new system incorporates extra screening fees, he said. Lutnick, the architect of the gold card system, also criticized the existing green card process, claiming it brought in too many workers from the “bottom quartile” of global talent. “We’re going to only take extraordinary people at the very top,” he said.
The H-1B visa program allows highly skilled foreign workers to live and work in the U.S. for three years, renewable for another three. Now 65,000 visas are granted each year, plus a further 20,000 for people who hold advanced U.S. degrees. Supply tends to be less than demand, with the government having to operate a lottery system. The program is used most by the IT industry, where firms claim it helps bridge essential labor shortages. Economists have also pointed out that the program assists U.S. companies to stay competitive and grow internally, generating new jobs for American workers.
Trump’s relationship with the H-1B program has long been complicated. During his 2016 campaign, he accused companies of misusing the system to undercut American labor with lower-paid foreign workers. As president, he repeatedly restricted visa access, including in 2020 when he halted H-1B issuance as part of a broader effort to reduce legal immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Trump has also, at times, expressed support for the program. During the 2024 campaign, he signaled a willingness to provide legal status to foreign-born U.S. university graduates. Last December, he said in an interview with the New York Post, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”
This balancing act has split Trump’s base. Businesspeople such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who initially headed his Department of Government Efficiency transition team, supported the H-1B program, which was denounced by hard-line MAGA followers keen on limiting immigration even further.
With the new executive orders, the Trump administration is indicating a change of course: limiting H-1B use through prohibitively expensive fees while opening an elite fast-track process for the high-end crowd. Critics say the $100,000 fee will be catastrophic to industries reliant upon H-1B workers, including tech, medical, and research fields. Supporters say it will at last make the system fit Trump’s “America First” labor agenda.
The gold card program, on the other hand, is sure to ignite heated debate over whether America’s immigration policy should be skewed towards the wealthiest of applicants. By charging people or employers millions to get ahead of the queue, the administration is openly linking immigration with economic privilege.
Together, the policies represent a new phase in Trump’s continued quest to redefine legal immigration. While the White House continues forward with its plan, the effect on industries, foreign workers, and America’s place in the world is uncertain. One thing that is certain is that the debate over the future of U.S. immigration is again at the forefront of Trump’s presidency.
Leo Cruz brings sharp insights into the world of politics, offering balanced reporting and analysis on the latest policies, elections, and global political events. With years of experience covering campaigns and interviewing world leaders, Leo ensures readers are always informed and engaged.
