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الوسم: H-1B

  • H-1B Visas for Skilled Workers: Key Facts & Upcoming Changes

    H-1B Visas for Skilled Workers: Key Facts & Upcoming Changes

    US flag, a passport, and a US H-1B Visa application form are shown in this illustration taken on September 22, 2025. — Reuters

    WASHINGTON: U.S. companies aiming to hire highly skilled international workers can utilize the federal H-1B visa program by paying a fee, enabling tech and other professionals from overseas to work in the United States for a limited period.

    Since taking office last year, President Donald Trump has implemented broad immigration restrictions and has criticized the program, proposing to increase the fee from its current range of $2,000 to $5,000 to over $100,000 permanently.

    Despite ongoing criticism that some firms use these visas to employ lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans, business associations and corporations argue that the visas are essential for recruiting top talent and filling skill gaps in certain sectors.

    Established by Congress in 1990, these visas are especially vital for tech companies recruiting from India and China. Major consulting firms like Deloitte, PwC, and Ernst & Young, along with outsourcing leaders such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies, and LTIMindtree, are among the primary sponsors of H-1B visas.

    Below are additional details about the program and recent developments under the Trump administration:

    Who is contesting the fee increases?

    Last year, Trump significantly increased the H-1B visa fee to $100,000, which led to several lawsuits.

    Although his initial hike is set to expire in September, the Department of Homeland Security has recently proposed making the fee permanent at $103,265.

    An organization representing India’s tech industry has stated it is engaging with U.S. stakeholders over the proposed fee hike and has urged the government to consider the benefits these visas provide in addressing temporary labor shortages.

    Companies such as Tesla, Amazon, and OpenAI have faced scrutiny regarding their use of H-1B visas, especially amid layoffs and a tightening job market affecting American workers.

    Will existing lawsuits challenge the new regulation?

    A federal appeals court in Boston is currently reviewing a decision from June, where a judge ruled that the fee increase was unlawful and blocked the Trump administration from collecting it.

    Another court is examining whether a judge properly dismissed a challenge to the fee filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business lobbying group.

    States led by Democrats, along with unions and employer groups, have also filed lawsuits. These legal cases may be amended to contest the new proposed fee once it is finalized.

    How are stricter vetting procedures affecting employers?

    Revisions to the vetting and processing of potential visa applicants have impacted hiring strategies, with some top H-1B users like Google expanding operations in India.

    In December, the Trump administration announced increased scrutiny of H-1B applicants, including a focus on issues related to censorship and free speech.

    The State Department instructed U.S. consulates to examine applicants’ LinkedIn profiles, resumes, and those of accompanying family members, especially for tech workers potentially involved in suppressing protected expression.

    Impact on visa application numbers

    The H-1B program provides for 65,000 visas annually, with an additional 20,000 reserved for candidates with advanced degrees. These visas are typically granted for three years, renewable up to six years.

    Data from court filings show that as of late February, around 70 employers paid the $100,000 fee for a total of 85 visa applications.

    Last year, employers registered approximately 344,000 H-1B applications, a drop of over 25% from 2024, and less than half of the 759,000 applications filed in 2023, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.

  • Trump’s $100K H-1B Visa Fee Ruled Unlawful

    Trump’s $100K H-1B Visa Fee Ruled Unlawful

    A federal judge on Monday invalidated a $100,000 fee that President Donald Trump implemented for new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, ruling that it was an illegal tax not authorized by Congress.

    US District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the decision in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic attorneys general from states challenging the fee Trump announced in September, which significantly increased the cost of obtaining H-1B visas.

    The H-1B program grants 65,000 visas annually, with an additional 20,000 for workers holding advanced degrees, valid for three to six years. Before Trump’s announcement, employers typically paid around $2,000 to $5,000 in fees, depending on specific circumstances.

    The fee hike has reportedly discouraged many H-1B visa applications, with filings dropping accordingly. According to government data, as of mid-February, USCIS had received just 85 payments of the $100,000 fee, the administration stated in a March report.

    Supporters argued that the fee was a legitimate penalty that the president had the authority to impose under federal immigration law to control the entry of certain foreign nationals. However, Judge Sorokin, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, found that this fee was actually a tax, and that Trump, as a Republican, lacked congressional authorization to enact it.

    “In this case, the nature and application of the $100,000 payment clearly show that it is a tax, regardless of what it is called,” Sorokin wrote.

    The White House has yet to comment on the ruling.

  • Texas Stops New H-1B Petitions at State Agencies and Universities

    Texas Stops New H-1B Petitions at State Agencies and Universities

    Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a sweeping executive order that halts the filing of new H-1B visa petitions by all state agencies and public universities in Texas. The directive, posted on his official website, explicitly states that no public institution or state agency may submit a new H-1B application for a foreign worker without prior written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission. This ban will be in place until May 31, 2027, aligning with the end of the 90th regular session of the Texas Legislature.

    In his letter to agency leaders, Abbott emphasized that Texas has heavily invested—billions of dollars—in education, workforce training, and high-demand skill development to prepare residents for both local and global employment. He pointed out that the original purpose of the federal H-1B program was to fill gaps in the U.S. labor market where domestic workers were unavailable. However, Abbott noted reports suggesting misuse of the program, where some employers bypass qualified American workers for cheaper foreign labor or even replace U.S. employees with H-1B visa holders.

    Abbott stressed that jobs funded by Texas taxpayers should primarily benefit Texans and that state agencies should lead by example. As part of the order, affected agencies and universities must submit a detailed report to the Texas Workforce Commission by March 27, 2026. The report should include data on new and renewal H-1B petitions filed during 2025, current H-1B visa holders employed, their countries of origin, job roles, visa expiration dates, and evidence that qualified Texas candidates were given a fair chance to apply for each position before applying for an H-1B.

    The Texas Workforce Commission has been tasked with issuing guidance to ensure the order is properly implemented and enforced. This decision comes amid ongoing national debates about the future of the H-1B program and renewed calls from the Trump-era administration for stricter immigration policies. Experts see this move as a politically and economically significant statement, reinforcing a narrative focused on safeguarding local employment and prioritizing American workers.

    Sectors most immediately affected are likely to include public universities, government research institutions, and fields that typically rely on international talent, such as science, engineering, medicine, and advanced research. University leaders and policy specialists warn that this freeze could delay new faculty hires, disrupt ongoing research, and increase pressures on academic staffing, which are already strained. Foreign professionals currently employed or seeking jobs within Texas’s public institutions—many from Pakistan, India, China, and other Asian countries—are expected to feel the impact.

    Importantly, the order does not extend to private companies, private universities, startups, conferences, events, or private partnerships, which remain governed by federal H-1B rules and are unaffected by the governor’s directive.

    Overall, Abbott’s measure signals a significant shift in how Texas approaches immigration and employment, emphasizing increased scrutiny and a preference for local workers. Though the freeze is temporary, the message is clear: future access to publicly funded jobs in Texas will undergo tighter control, a change that is poised to influence the state’s education, research, and employment landscape for years to come.

  • Lawsuit Challenges Trump’s $100K Fee for H-1B Visas

    Lawsuit Challenges Trump’s $100K Fee for H-1B Visas

    A group of unions, employers, and faith-based organizations took legal action on Friday to stop President Donald Trump’s attempt to impose a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas granted to highly skilled foreign workers.

    This lawsuit, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, is the first challenge to a proclamation Trump issued two weeks ago, which introduced the fee as part of a broader effort to tighten immigration policies.

    Among the plaintiffs are the United Auto Workers union, the American Association of University Professors, a nurse staffing agency, and several religious groups. They contend that Trump’s authority to limit the entry of specific foreign nationals does not permit him to override the legal framework that established the H-1B visa program.

    A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, responded in a statement, claiming that the Trump administration’s actions are lawful, aiming to prevent companies from overloading the system, suppressing wages for American workers, and providing predictability for employers seeking top talent from abroad.

    The H-1B program enables U.S. companies to hire foreign specialists, particularly in tech industries that heavily depend on H-1B visa holders.

    Critics argue that the visa program is often exploited to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor, though many corporations and industry groups emphasize that H-1Bs are essential for filling skill shortages.

    Currently, employers pay H-1B sponsorship fees ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, varying based on company size and other factors.

    Trump’s recent order forbids new H-1B visa recipients from entering the U.S. unless their sponsoring employer pays an additional $100,000 fee. The order exempts those already holding H-1B visas or who submitted applications prior to September 21.

    In an unprecedented move, Trump cited his authority under federal immigration laws to restrict entry of certain foreign nationals deemed harmful to American interests. He argues that the presence of many low-wage workers in the H-1B program has compromised its integrity and threatens national security by discouraging Americans from pursuing careers in science and technology.

    He also claimed that the “large-scale replacement of American workers” through H-1B visas undermines the nation’s economic stability and security.

    The plaintiffs argue that Trump lacks the constitutional and statutory authority to fundamentally alter the visa program and cannot unilaterally impose fees or taxes to generate revenue—that power belongs solely to Congress.

    “The proclamation transforms the H-1B program into one where employers must either ‘pay to play’ or seek a ‘national interest’ exemption, which will be at the Secretary of Homeland Security’s discretion, opening the door to unfair enforcement and corruption,” the lawsuit states.

    The groups allege that agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department, implemented new policies following the proclamation without proper rulemaking procedures or assessment of how “extorting exorbitant fees will stifle innovation.”

    The H-1B visa offers 65,000 slots annually for foreign workers in specialized fields, with an additional 20,000 for those with advanced degrees. These visas are valid for three to six years.

    Last year, India was the top beneficiary of H-1B visas, accounting for 71% of approved petitions, followed by China at 11.7%, according to government data.

  • US Visa Holders Face Toilet Clog Trolls in Viral Prank

    US Visa Holders Face Toilet Clog Trolls in Viral Prank

    While vacationing in India, engineer Amrutha Tamanam hurried to fly back to the U.S. after Donald Trump suddenly announced a $100,000 fee for her type of visa. As she scrambled to rebook her flight, online groups with racist motives coordinated efforts to overload booking systems from India, naming their campaign “clog the toilet.” The White House later clarified that the new H-1B fee was a one-time charge and did not apply to existing visa holders. Nevertheless, major U.S. companies had already instructed their employees abroad to return quickly to avoid the fee or risk being stuck overseas. Tamanam, based in Austin, began looking for flights from Vijayawada as users on a far-right message board, 4chan, attempted to overwhelm airline reservation systems to block Indian visa holders from booking flights. One thread advised users to find flights from India to the U.S., start the checkout process but not finalize the purchase, aiming to flood the system and prevent visa holders from reaching the U.S. before the new fee took effect. This campaign likely contributed to Tamanam’s repeated website crashes, with booking pages timing out much faster than usual. After multiple tries, she successfully rebooked a one-way ticket to Dallas on Qatar Airways, paying about $2,000—more than twice her original round-trip fare. “It was very difficult to book a ticket, and I paid a hefty price due to all the panic,” she told AFP. The thread, also circulating on Telegram and fringe forums favored by Trump supporters, urged: “Want to keep them in India? Clog the flight reservation system!” It prompted users to reserve seats on popular India-U.S. routes without completing payments, blocking availability and driving up prices. One user claimed to have secured 100 seats, while others reported holding up seats on Air India’s website. However, an Air India spokesperson said their system encountered no issues. Although it’s hard to gauge the campaign’s full impact, experts consider it an attempt to cause panic among H-1B visa holders. Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, noted that 4chan’s ability to radicalize individuals into extremist beliefs is concerning, as several US mass shooters have published manifestos there. H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills like scientists and programmers, initially for three years with extensions up to six. The U.S. grants around 85,000 H-1B visas annually through a lottery system, with India accounting for roughly 75% of recipients. In today’s info-warfare environment, this troll operation exemplifies how malicious actors can launch disruptive attacks with just a few keystrokes, according to Brian Levin of the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism. As nationalist politics spread worldwide, opponents may increasingly turn to aggressive online tactics—highlighting how swiftly these efforts can spread across borders, fueled by shared animosity online.