I just heard about the new changes to the H-1B visa program that Trump announced on Friday, and honestly, it’s pretty shocking. Can you believe they’re now charging companies $100,000 just to apply for an H-1B visa? That’s a massive jump from what it used to be.
From what I understand, Trump’s saying this will help American workers get hired first, but companies can still bring in foreign talent if they really need it – they just have to pay up. The thing is, this could really shake things up, especially for tech companies who’ve been relying on this program for years to find specialized talent.
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But here’s where it gets even crazier – they’ve also introduced this “gold card” program. If you’re a high-earning foreign worker and can pay $1 million, you can basically fast-track your visa. Companies can do the same for $2 million if they want to sponsor someone specific. It feels like they’re creating a two-tier system where only the wealthy can navigate immigration quickly.
What’s interesting is how Trump’s position has changed over the years. Back in his first term, he was pretty restrictive about foreign worker visas. Then during his 2024 campaign, he seemed more open to helping foreign students who graduate from American universities. Now we’re seeing these new fees that could make it much harder for companies to use the program at all.
The H-1B program only gives out 65,000 visas a year, plus another 20,000 for people with advanced degrees from U.S. schools. There’s always way more demand than spots available, so they have to use a lottery system. Many tech companies say they genuinely can’t find enough qualified American workers for certain specialized roles, which is why they need the program.
Trump and his team, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick who helped design the gold card system, argue that the current system brings in lower-skilled workers and that companies use it to replace Americans with cheaper foreign labor. Lutnick’s been pretty blunt about wanting only “extraordinary” people at the top of their fields.
I’m not sure how this will all play out, but it’s definitely going to affect a lot of businesses and workers. The tech industry in particular might have to completely rethink their hiring strategies. And for foreign workers hoping to come to the U.S., the path just got a lot more expensive and complicated.
