Here’s everything Trump said he’s changing about H-1B visas

President Donald Trump on Friday announced that the fee employers must pay for an H-1B visa will be raised to $100,000.

Companies scrambled to respond, CNBC reported Saturday, and social media users are posting about what this change means for H-1B visa workers.

Here’s a breakdown of the new H-1B fees:

What did Trump change?

As of Sunday, H-1B visa applications will require a $100,000 payment. Previously, visa fees ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 per application, depending on the size of the company, according to the Immigration Law Group.

Employers now must have documentation of the payment prior to filing an H-1B petition on behalf of a worker. Applicants will have their petitions restricted for 12 months until the payment is made, according to the White House.

Who does this affect?

The fee will be applied only to new H-1B applicants, not renewals or current visa holders, and will be implemented in the upcoming lottery cycle, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Those who already have H-1B visas and are located outside the U.S. will not be required to pay the fee in order to reenter, she said.

Leavitt also clarified that the $100,000 is a one-time payment and not an annual charge, after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Friday that the fee would be annual.

Exceptions can be made for any immigrant whose employment is deemed essential in the national interest by the Secretary of Homeland Security and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the U.S., according to the White House.

Employees with B visas who have start dates prior to October 2026 will receive additional guidance in order to prevent those temporary business visas being used as a workaround for H-1B visas, the White House said.

Who are these workers and why are they needed?

H-1B visas are designed to allow highly skilled foreign professionals to work in specialty occupations when employers can’t find qualified American workers to fill the roles. Many jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, that generally require at least a bachelor’s degree qualify.

Companies in the tech and finance sectors rely heavily on these specially skilled immigrants, particularly from India and China, which accounted for 71% and 11.7% of visa holders last year, respectively, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

How many H-1B visas does the tech industry use every year?

The current annual cap for H-1B visas is 65,000, along with an additional 20,000 visas for foreign professionals with a master’s degree or doctorate from a U.S. institution, according to USCIS. A lottery system is used to select additional petitions if demand exceeds the cap.

Since 2012, about 60% or more of approved H-1B workers had computer-related jobs, according to Pew Research.

Amazon was the top employer for H-1B holders in fiscal year 2025, sponsoring more than 10,000 applicants by the end of June, according to USCIS. Microsoft, Meta and IT company Tata Consulting Services had more than 5,000 each, while Apple and Google rounded out the top six with more than 4,000 approvals each.

WATCH: CoreWeave CEO on H-1B visas: Additional fee is ‘sand in the gears’ for access to talent