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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ordered on Friday that an annual $100,000 fee be added to H-1B skilled worker visas, creating potentially major repercussions for the tech industry where such permits are prolific.
The new US measure, which could likely face legal challenges, was announced alongside the introduction of a $1 million “gold card” residency programme that Trump had previewed months earlier.
“The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” Trump told reporters as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.
H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialised skills — such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years, but extendable to six years.
