22.09.2025
2 min
480
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applicants. Current H-1B holders and those applying for extensions are exempt from the change, but the decision has already prompted urgent advice for employees at big tech companies.
Following the announcement, Amazon, Microsoft and JPMorgan advised H-1B/H-4 holders to refrain from international travel or return to the US immediately to avoid putting their status at risk. According to internal reports, Amazon has asked its employees to stay in the country, and similar instructions have also been issued by Microsoft and JPMorgan. Lawyers hired by the bank have recommended avoiding travel until there is clear guidance from the government. The administration is also discussing the mechanics of the payment: a $300,000 lump sum or $100,000 annually for three years.
The H-1B is valid for three years and provides for 65,000 visas for specialists plus 20,000 for holders of master’s and PhD degrees each year. In 2025, Amazon employed more than 14,000 H-1B holders; Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Google – more than 4,000 each. Indian citizens received 71% of approved H-1Bs last year, Chinese – 11.7%. A separate decree approved the idea of \u200b\u200b“gold card” – fast-track visas for contributions of £ 1 million or more. According to Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick, businesses are “on board” with the changes, but the details of the implementation are still being clarified.
The introduction of $ 100,000 on H-1Bs for new applicants sharply raises the barrier to entry for foreign talent and could slow down hiring in Big Tech, especially among specialists from India and China. In the short term, companies will minimize migration risks (travel freeze, internal instructions), in the long term, they will review relocation and R&D offshoring strategies. Key issues are open: the exact recovery schedule, exceptions for critical roles, and the impact on job offers already issued.
