President Donald Trump signed a proclamation raising the annual H-1B visa fee from $215 to $100,000, a move intended to prioritize American workers. The proclamation also introduces a $1 million “gold card” visa and a $5 million “platinum card,” providing wealthy foreign nationals a pathway to U.S. residency and the ability to stay up to 270 days without paying U.S. taxes on income earned abroad.
The H-1B program, widely used by U.S. companies to hire highly skilled workers, has been criticized for replacing American employees with lower-paid foreign labor. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the new fees will encourage hiring domestic talent while allowing companies to bring in specialized foreign workers at higher costs. Critics, including former USCIS official Doug Rand, have questioned whether the fee hike will withstand legal challenges. Each year, 85,000 H-1B visas are issued, including 20,000 reserved for holders of advanced U.S. degrees, often allocated through a lottery due to high demand.
