Trump is upping the price of Big Tech’s favorite visa
The Trump administration has sharply escalated its campaign against legal immigration, announcing on the same day a fee of over $103,000 on H-1B work visas and plans to revoke up to 200,000 visas held by asylum seekers, reportedly the largest mass visa revocation in US history. Analysts and immigration advocates say these moves reflect an "all-of-government approach" to reducing legal immigration numbers, extending beyond deportation enforcement to pressure lawful visa holders and businesses that rely on skilled foreign workers, including major tech firms and rural hospitals and schools.
The new H-1B fee raises a previous $100,000 charge, which was struck down by a federal judge in June after more than 70 employers had already paid it; advocates fear the Optional Practical Training programme for international students could face a similar fee next. Separately, the State Department plans to rescind business and travel visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who later applied for asylum after entering the country, a legal route officials describe as a loophole being exploited by "short-term visitors." Critics note that applying for asylum from within the US is the only legal way to do so, and argue the revocations form part of a broader effort to close off humanitarian immigration pathways.
- New $103,265 fee imposed on H-1B skilled worker visas
- Up to 200,000 asylum seekers' visas set to be revoked
- Moves seen as broader push to curb legal immigration routes
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Immigration to the United States has become a major flashpoint under the Trump administration, which has pursued not only deportation enforcement but also tighter rules on people already living or working in the country legally. Two policies now sit at the centre of this: the H-1B visa, a widely used route that lets American companies, especially in the tech sector, hire skilled foreign workers, and asylum, a legal protection for people who fear persecution if they return to their home country.
The H-1B visa has long been popular with large technology firms, who use it to bring in specialist staff from abroad when they say they cannot find enough qualified workers domestically. Applying for asylum from within the United States, meanwhile, is the recognised legal path for people already in the country to seek refuge, distinct from claiming asylum at the border. Both routes have existed for decades and are used by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
These programmes matter because they sit at the intersection of business, immigration policy and law, affecting not just Silicon Valley employers but also smaller institutions such as rural hospitals and schools that rely on foreign-trained staff, as well as individuals whose right to remain in the country depends on the rules in place. Changes to fees or visa validity can therefore have wide-reaching effects on employers, workers and asylum seekers alike, and often face legal challenges in the courts.