Article Summary

President Trump signed an executive order imposing a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions, effective October 6. This significant fee increase has led several major US employers, including Cognizant, Intuitive Surgical, Tata Consultancy Services, and Walmart, to pause or scale back H-1B sponsorships. The policy change is currently being challenged in federal court and has raised widespread concerns among prospective skilled workers and business groups.

TNP AI: Key Insights

This unprecedented $100,000 H-1B fee hike immediately raises the stakes for both skilled foreign workers and U.S. employers, forcing a strategic re-evaluation of talent acquisition and career pathways. For smaller businesses and startups, this cost could be prohibitive, limiting access to specialized skills and potentially impacting innovation and growth.

This fee represents a dramatic increase from previous H-1B filing costs, which were typically in the low thousands, making it an outlier in global skilled immigration policy. While other major economies like the UK and Canada have adjusted visa fees, none have imposed a charge of this magnitude, potentially shifting the competitive landscape for global talent away from the U.S.

The ongoing legal challenges against this executive order introduce significant uncertainty, meaning its long-term viability is not guaranteed. However, the immediate reaction from major companies like Cognizant and Walmart demonstrates the profound short-term disruption and anxiety already gripping the H-1B ecosystem.