Big Tech companies, foreign governments scramble after Trump slaps $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas

Major exertion companies and overseas governments are rushing to respond aft President Donald Trump precocious Friday announced plans to impose a $100,000 yearly interest connected H-1B visas, threatening to upend the programme that underpins America's exertion workforce.

The Trump medication said the interest would use per worker, per year, perchance dealing a monolithic stroke to companies — chiefly successful the exertion and concern sectors — that trust heavy connected highly skilled immigrants, peculiarly from India and China.

The announcement sent shockwaves done firm America. JPMorgan Chase's instrumentality steadfast sent a memo asking H-1B visa holders astatine the steadfast to stay successful the U.S. and debar planetary question until further guidance, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the matter.

Microsoft and Amazon besides person reportedly advised H-1B visa holders to stay successful the U.S. and for those overseas to instrumentality earlier 12:01 a.m. ET connected Sept. 21, informing that planetary question could jeopardize their migration status, according to emails seen by Reuters.

The determination represents the administration's astir assertive determination yet to restrict ineligible immigration. Since taking bureau successful January, Trump has precocious a wide crackdown connected some amerciable and ineligible introduction into the U.S., but Friday's announcement marks the astir important effort to clamp down connected employment visas.

Amazon employed the astir H-1B holders — much than 14,000 arsenic of the extremity of June. Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google had implicit 4,000 specified visas each, among the apical 10 recipients for the fiscal twelvemonth 2025.

CNBC has reached retired to each of the nationalist companies connected the apical 10 H-1B recipient database for comment. The White House didn't instantly respond to an email asking for comment.

'Humanitarian consequences'

The announcement besides disrupted the presumption quo overseas, wherever overseas governments scrambled to measure the interaction of the caller rules connected their countries.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said it is studying the visa restrictions and their implications, stressing that some Indian and U.S. industries stock an involvement successful maintaining competitiveness successful innovation. It besides highlighted the apt disruption to idiosyncratic families.

"This measurement is apt to person humanitarian consequences by mode of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions tin beryllium addressed suitably by the US authorities," India's Ministry of External Affairs said successful a statement.

South Korea's overseas ministry besides said it is assessing the implications for Korean firms and skilled workers.