- By Ajeet Kumar
- Sat, 20 Sep 2025 06:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
H1-B Visa News: US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a $100,000 annual visa fee for highly-skilled foreign workers and rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa. If the moves survive legal muster, they will deliver staggering price increases. The visa fee for skilled workers would jump from $215. The fee for investor visas, which are common in many European countries, would climb from $10,000-$20,000 a year. This converts to nearly Rs 88 lakh in India.
What is an H1-B Visa?
The H-1B is a temporary visa for highly skilled foreign workers, tied to a specific US job and employer. It allows American companies to hire skilled foreign professionals in specialty fields such as technology, engineering, finance, healthcare, and science.
To qualify, applicants typically need at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field. The visa is employer-sponsored, meaning a US company must petition for the worker. It is initially granted for three years, with the possibility of extension up to a maximum of six years.
Why is the H1-B visa in the news?
Trump has signed a proclamation to raise the H-1B visa fee to a staggering USD 1,00,000 annually, a move that will adversely affect Indian professionals in the US.
Immigration attorneys and companies have asked the H-1B visa holders or their family members currently outside America for work or vacation to return within the next 24 hours or risk being stranded and denied entry into the US after the proclamation comes into effect from 12:01 am September 21.
Who can apply for an H1-B Visa?
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a specialty field like tech, engineering, or healthcare. You can’t apply on your own—a US employer must sponsor you with a valid job offer. The employer must also file a Labour Condition Application to ensure fair wages. Freelancers and those without a qualifying job are not eligible.
What is the cost of H1-B visa (As of September 20, 2025)?
As of 2025, H-1B visa fees include a $460 base filing fee, a $500 fraud prevention fee, and a training fee of $750 or $1,500 depending on employer size. Employers with 50+ employees and over half on H-1B/L-1 visas pay an extra $4,000. Optional premium processing costs $2,805 for faster approval. These fees are usually paid by the employer.
Why does Trump increase H1-B Visa fees
Trump said that it is necessary to impose higher costs on companies seeking to use the H-1B programme to address the abuse of that programme while still permitting companies to hire the best of the best temporary foreign workers.
Why Trump is facing criticism despite caring for American jobs
Critics say H-1B spots often go to entry-level jobs, rather than senior positions with unique skill requirements. And while the program isn’t supposed to undercut US wages or displace US workers, critics say companies can pay less by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even if the specific workers hired have more experience.
As a result, many US companies find it cheaper to contract out help desks, programming and other basic tasks to consulting companies such as Wipro, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Tata in India and IBM and Cognizant in the US. These consulting companies hire foreign workers, often from India, and contract them out to US employers looking to save money.
(With inputs from agency)