Karmactive Staff
H-1B Fee Increase Calculator: Before vs After
Company Impact Calculator
Critical Timeline
A sweeping change to America’s skilled worker visa program has tech companies racing against the clock. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Friday, September 19, 2025, requiring a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas effective September 21, 2025, giving employers just 48 hours to adjust to one of the most expensive visa fees in U.S. history.
Corner Office Panic
Microsoft has reportedly been contacting employees abroad, urging them to return to the U.S. before the deadline hits. Other tech giants like Amazon, which was the top recipient of H-1B visas this year with more than 10,000 approvals, along with Indian outsourcing firms TCS and Infosys, are assessing the massive financial impact.
“We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s going to happen,” Trump said during the signing ceremony at the White House.
The Fine Print
The proclamation, taking effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025, specifically restricts entry under the H-1B program unless the petition is accompanied by the payment. According to the White House fact sheet, the proclamation:
- Restricts entry for aliens as nonimmigrants to perform services in specialty occupations in the H-1B program unless their petition is accompanied by a $100,000 payment
- Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to restrict approvals for petitions from aliens currently outside the United States that are not accompanied by the payment
- Allows case-by-case exemptions if deemed in the national interest
The order is initially set for a one-year period but could be extended based on administration review.
Cash for Citizenship
Alongside the H-1B restrictions, Trump introduced the “Gold Card” program, creating a faster pathway to permanent residency through significant financial contributions:
- Individual Gold Card applicants: $1 million donation
- Corporate Gold Card sponsors: $2 million donation
Trump also announced a separate “Platinum Card” program priced at $5 million, which would allow holders to spend up to 270 days in the U.S. without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income. However, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated this program would require congressional approval before launch.
“The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” Trump told reporters at the White House during the signing.
Job Protection Logic
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick framed the visa change as a worker protection measure: “If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs.”
Lutnick told reporters the change will likely result in far fewer H-1B visas than the 85,000 annual cap allows because “it’s just not economic anymore.”
The new fee represents a dramatic increase from the existing H-1B fees, which currently include a $215 registration fee plus several thousand dollars in additional filing fees, fraud prevention fees, and other costs depending on the employer’s size and circumstances.
Cap Already Reached for FY2026
The timing of this policy shift is particularly significant as USCIS has already announced that both the regular cap (65,000 visas) and the advanced degree exemption (20,000 visas) for fiscal year 2026 have been reached.
According to USCIS data, the agency received 336,153 unique beneficiary registrations for FY2026, selecting 118,660 beneficiaries (about 35.3%) in the initial lottery to meet the annual quota of 85,000 visas.
USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, including extensions, changes in employment terms, employer transfers, and concurrent employment petitions.
Legal Questions Emerge
Immigration policy experts have raised concerns about the legal foundation for such a dramatic fee increase without congressional action.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, posted online that “Congress has only authorized the government to set fees to recover the cost of adjudicating an application.”
The most recent major H-1B recipients included Amazon (over 10,000 visas), followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google, with California having the highest concentration of H-1B workers.
What Happens Now?
Companies and workers face critical decisions in the coming hours:
- H-1B holders currently outside the U.S. must decide whether to rush back before the deadline
- Employers must determine whether to pay the $100,000 fee for essential workers or restructure their teams
- Legal challenges to the proclamation appear likely given the questions about fee authority
Department of Homeland Security guidance on payment mechanics and verification processes is still pending, with administration officials indicating that payment structure details are still under discussion.For the tech industry, which has increasingly relied on skilled foreign workers to fill crucial positions, this abrupt policy shift could reshape hiring strategies and corporate budgets.
