Want to work in the U.S.? Trump just slapped a $100K entry fee

On September 19, 2025, D. Trump did the unthinkable. He slapped a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas (working visa), effective just two days later.  And just like that, one of the most important pathways for skilled workers turned into a six-figure gamble.

For a generation of skilled workers in places like Nepal, the H-1B visa has been the single biggest entry point to the American tech industry. It’s the reason tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have been able to build massive teams. It’s also why so many students packed their bags, studied abroad, and shaped their futures around the hope of landing this visa.

And now, everything’s changed. What used to cost employers a few thousand dollars suddenly starts at more than $100,000 per person.

So, what's the deal with this new fee? Is it an annual charge? Who is actually paying it, and is anyone exempt? If you’re already living in the US, will this affect you?

Most importantly, what's the real reason behind this decision? Why shake up a system that has worked for decades?

We’ll get into all of that. But before we break down the fee, let’s start at the beginning; what exactly is the H-1B visa, and why does it matter so much?

First Things First: What Even Is an H-1B Visa?

Before we get into Trump’s new fee, let’s talk about what the H-1B actually is. In simple terms, it’s America’s skilled worker visa, the pass companies use when they want to bring in people from abroad for jobs they can’t fill locally.

It’s been around for years and is especially big in tech. Walk into the offices of Google or Microsoft and you’ll find plenty of engineers working there because of this visa. Hospitals, research labs, and universities also rely on it.

For many students from South Asia; especially from India, the H-1B is the natural next step after studying in the U.S. You go on a student visa, work for a bit, and then hope to get selected in the H-1B lottery. If you’re lucky, it means a few more years of stability and maybe even a chance at permanent residency.

What Exactly is the $100,000 H-1B Fee?

Let’s get one thing out of the way: this is not an annual fee. It’s a one-time charge per petition, layered on top of all the existing USCIS filing costs. Employers (not the visa applicants themselves) are responsible for paying it.

Here’s how the proclamation works:It applies prospectively, meaning only to petitions filed after 12:01 AM on September 21, 2025.

It’s valid for one year (through September 20, 2026), unless renewed.

It does not affect current H-1B holders, approved petitions, or travel rights.

In other words, if you’re already in the U.S. on H-1B, you can breathe for now. But if your employer was planning to file for you next month? That just got unimaginably expensive.

Cost Breakdown: Before vs. After the Proclamation

To understand the shock, compare the old math with the new:

That’s over 1000% increase overnight.

This is why companies rushed to submit petitions before the deadline, and why immigration lawyers are calling it the most radical shift in skilled immigration policy since the program began.

Who Doesn’t Have to Pay the $100K?

The good news (if you can call it that) is that not everyone gets hit with the full six-figure fee. There are two main groups who escape it:

Automatic exemptions; These are the straightforward cases:

• People already on H-1B visas.
  

• Petitions filed before September 21, 2025.
  

• Petitions that have already been approved.
  

• Anyone applying for a change of status from inside the U.S.
  

• Extensions or transfers of existing H-1Bs.

In short, if you’re already in the system, you’re safe for now.

National interest exemptions; This is where things get political. The Secretary of Homeland Security has the power to waive the fee if the job is considered important for the country. That usually means:

• Healthcare workers in shortage areas.
  

• Cybersecurity or defense experts.
  

• People working in cutting-edge tech like AI or semiconductors.
  

• University and research staff.
  

• Critical infrastructure roles.

So, what does that really mean? We’ll probably end up with two kinds of H-1Bs: one for people in “critical” industries who still have a shot, and another for everyone else where the fee makes things almost impossible.

Common Misconceptions Debunked

Since the announcement, rumors have been flying across WhatsApp groups, LinkedIn posts, and diaspora news portals. Let’s clear the air:

1. “It’s an annual fee.”
   Not true. It’s a one-time petition fee. But since H-1Bs are typically renewed every three years, employers might face it again at renewal.
   

2. “Current H-1Bs need to pay to re-enter the U.S.”
   False. If you already hold a valid visa, you can travel as usual.
   

3. “All H-1B applications will now cost $100K.”
   Not exactly. Many sectors; healthcare, defense, research, are likely to get exemptions.
   

4. “The $100K replaces old USCIS fees.”
   Wrong again. It stacks on top of all existing fees, pushing real costs well north of $100K.

It’s no surprise people are confused. Immigration rules are messy on a good day, and this change is huge. How much it really hurts will depend on how generous the government is with those exemptions. But one thing’s already obvious: the H-1B path that once felt tough but possible now looks more like an expensive gamble that only well-funded employers can take.

The H-1B Program in Context: How it Affects Nepal

The H-1B is basically the golden pass for skilled workers to enter the U.S. economy. At any given time, there are already half a million or more people in the U.S. working on this visa.

India at the Center, Nepal at the Edges

The H-1B is almost an India-exclusive club. In 2024, Indians grabbed over 283,755 approvals; that’s 71% of all H1B visas approved that year. China came second with about 47,000. And Nepal had just 2,157 approvals (0.5%). On paper it looks tiny, but for Nepali families, each one of those approvals is huge. It’s someone’s son or daughter building a career in the U.S., often after years of study and sacrifice.

How the 100k Fee Flips The Game

Now imagine being an employer. Before, sponsoring a worker cost a few thousand dollars; painful, but doable. Suddenly, you’re staring at an extra $100,000 price tag. For the Googles and Amazons of the world, that might feel like a rounding error. But for smaller firms, especially the kind that hire fresh grads from Nepal, it’s a deal-breaker. As a result, any Nepali students finishing their undergrad or master’s in the U.S. may find employers backing away from sponsoring them.

The Lottery That Already Felt Impossible

Even before the fee, the H-1B was like playing Powerball. In 2025, more than 470,000 people applied, and only about 1 in 5 got picked. The year before, it was nearly 760,000 applicants with only 1 in 4 making it. Now, on top of those odds, you’re asking your employer to buy a lottery ticket that costs as much as a two-storey house in Kathmandu, knowing there’s an 80% chance you might not get the visa.

Do H-1B Workers Really ‘Steal’ Jobs?

Research shows H-1B workers don’t take jobs away from Americans, they actually create more. On average, one H-1B worker generates 7.5 new U.S. jobs. And they’re well paid too: the median H-1B salary is $108,000, compared to $45,760 for the average U.S. worker. So the program boosts the American economy while also lifting up migrant families.

Which makes you wonder: if it’s been working so well, why mess with it at all?

Trump’s Reason Behind the Fee

The White House says the move is about “protecting American workers” and their argument is: if hiring a foreign worker costs $100K, companies will think twice before skipping over local talent.

Trump, of course, put his own spin on it. “We need great workers, and this ensures that’s what we’re going to get.” In other words, if you’re not worth six figures up front, don’t bother.

But anyone watching U.S. politics knows there’s more going on here. With elections around the corner, this plays very well to the “Buy American, Hire American” crowd.

There’s also the money. Every petition is now a six-figure check to the government. Multiply that across tens of thousands of applications, and well, it’s a nice little cash machine.

And then there’s strategy. By making the system painful, Trump gains bargaining power in future immigration negotiations. It’s a classic “create a crisis, then offer a deal” move.

And finally, let’s not forget the timing. Alongside this fee, the administration also rolled out a shiny new “gold card” visa; basically a $1 million fast-track for the wealthy. So if you're rich, the doors are wide open. If you’re just highly skilled, you’d better hope your employer thinks you’re worth the price of a Kathmandu apartment block.

So no, Trump isn’t killing skilled immigration altogether. He’s just moving the goalposts, turning it into a system where only certain industries; or people with the right kind of money, can play.

Final Thoughts

This $100,000 H1B fee has flipped the script entirely. The path was already hard enough, but now it feels unrealistic; almost like a gamble that only the richest companies can afford to play.

For Nepal, it makes an already narrow doorway even harder to slip through. Those 2,000 approvals a year that once gave so many families hope could start shrinking, and that means more Nepali students may have to look toward Canada, Australia, or Europe instead of the U.S.

And the irony is; they say they're protecting American jobs, but you and I both know what's really going to happen. Companies won't stop hiring; they’ll just ship the work somewhere else. So that tech job that could have been in San Francisco, will be done by someone working from the comfort of their home. So, in a way, they might be forcing jobs to go overseas. 

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