Following the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump issuing an order to raise the H1-B visa application fee to $100,000 per year, leading tech companies Microsoft and Meta have issued urgent notices to their foreign employees.
According to Reuters, Microsoft has emailed its employees holding H1-B and H4 visas, emphasizing that those outside the U.S. must immediately return, while those already in the U.S. must remain there.
The administrative order, signed on September 19, suddenly increased the H1-B visa application fee. Previously ranging from $1,700 to $4,500, the fee has now been set at $100,000 per year.
Trump commented on this, stating, “I think they will be very happy with this decision.”
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick added, “Instead of bringing in foreign workers, we should train and hire graduates within our own country.”
White House official Will Scharf remarked, “H1-B visas have been widely misused. By raising the fee to $100,000, only truly highly skilled individuals will get jobs in the U.S.”
According to U.S. government data, 71% of H1-B visa approvals go to Indians, while only 11.7% go to Chinese applicants.
By mid-2025, Amazon (including AWS) had obtained over 12,000 H1-B visas, while Microsoft and Meta each received more than 5,000 approvals.
Experts warn that this new fee will significantly affect Indian tech employees and the U.S. companies that hire them.
Not only Microsoft, but Meta has also instructed its H1-B and H4 employees to return to the U.S. within 24 hours. Employees already in the U.S. are advised to remain for at least two weeks and not leave during that time.
Legal experts say the $100,000 fee violates U.S. immigration laws. Therefore, it is expected that legal challenges will arise.
(Tamil Craze)
