Trump Announces Massive Overhaul Of H-1B Visa System

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Trump Announces Massive Overhaul Of H-1B Visa System

Trending Politics News
By Cullen McCue
Sep 19, 2025

H-1B visa applications currently ranging from about $1,700 to $4,500, depending on whether the visa is expedited, which is more expensive. The fees are typically considered a business expense of the employer.

H-1B visas are typically issued for an initial period of up to 3 years, though they can be extended for an additional 3 years, allowing a maximum stay of 6 years in H-1B status. Once enacted, Trump’s proclamation will raise the bar for acquiring an H-1B visa by orders of magnitude, while also making it exceedingly more difficult for current holders to apply for successful renewal.

https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/new-trump-announces-massive-overhaul-of-h-1b-visa-system-cmc/

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H-1B was the DEATH CALL when I was in tech. I worked in a software shop for a major American company. Fifty percent or more of the people I worked with were foreign. They can hire an American who demands benefits and routine hours. Or they can hire an H-1B who will live at work, demands nothing, never criticizes anything, and will do anything not to be fired because then they are sent back home.

Spend 6 years studying tech with stellar marks and cannot find a job? H-1B is why. They can hire a professor or a PhD from Bangladesh for $40K a year. And his whole entire life becomes his job.

H-1B is the closest thing I have ever witnessed for real, in real life, to actual slavery. And all my friends were being laid-off or not-hired because of it. H1-B is a pure scam on the American people.

I hope President Trump can do something to bring it under control. But it is so lucrative for upper management of tech companies, it is equivalent to Lincoln trying to end slavery. It will be a long and difficult battle.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

My son-in-law lives in a tech area of Austin. His neighborhood is 80-90% of Indian descent.

This epitomizes the problems with the existing H-1B Visa system.

[Cyber Liberty]

I worked in R&D for a large Semiconductor company, and most of the Scientists were foreign born, but were US Citizens.  H1-B's were expensive with recurring costs and weren't worth the expense.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

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

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/20/trump-h-1b-visa-tech-foreign-governments.html

I gotta say, this is a great move on Trump's part.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

This is a good change. Of course, tech companies just want cheap labor. Now if they truly want a skill that they have difficulty finding an american to do, they can still get it, but no more indentured servitude.

[DB]

The combination of this and AI may crater the software developer world. AI was already starting to take a bite out of lower end programmers.

There may be numerous unintended/intended consequences.

[Cyber Liberty]

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

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/20/trump-h-1b-visa-tech-foreign-governments.html

I gotta say, this is a great move on Trump's part.

I support this idea!  If a company wants someone that badly they should pay for it.  A muti-Billion dollar company can pay that if the level of expertise is high enough.  Disney would have to find Robotics experts for Disneyland in the US.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The combination of this and AI may crater the software developer world. AI was already starting to take a bite out of lower end programmers.

There may be numerous unintended/intended consequences.

Anything preventing these same people from doing the same work from their own country?

[Cyber Liberty]

Anything preventing these same people from doing the same work from their own country?

Not at all, in many cases.  Some yes, but not most. 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Not at all, in many cases.  Some yes, but not most.

you seem to come from the tech world like Cyber (I do not).  Do you agree?  If not, why would we be 'cratering' our software development?
 @DB

[Timber Rattler]

Yep!  I have some buddies in IT who were laid off a few years ago and forced to train their H1-B replacements, or else lose their severance pay.  And you can't call tech support anymore without talking with somebody with a thick Indian accent named "Tom" or "Jane."

Meanwhile, Leavitt just walked back most of this plan...the comments are...not nice:

https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1969495900478488745

To be clear:

1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.

2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter.

H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.

3.) This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.

It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle

[Right_in_Virginia]

https://twitter.com/unseen1_unseen/status/1969173520300052930

[DB]

you seem to come from the tech world like Cyber (I do not).  Do you agree?  If not, why would we be 'cratering' our software development?
 @DB

Yes, they can work in the country from where they came from, but the job demand in those places is likely significantly less with even lower pay.

The point I was trying to make is the US software industry is being turned upside down by AI right now before this. Lower level programmers doing boiler plate work are being flushed out of jobs because AI can do it faster and cheaper. This H-1B visa change is an additional hit to the industry that is already a mess. So where this goes is hard to predict.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Yes, they can work in the country from where they came from, but the job demand in those places is likely significantly less with even lower pay.

The point I was trying to make is the US software industry is being turned upside down by AI right now before this. Lower level programmers doing boiler plate work are being flushed out of jobs because AI can do it faster and cheaper. This H-1B visa change is an additional hit to the industry that is already a mess. So where this goes is hard to predict.

Ok, you are concentrating on AI, I understand.

I was looking at programmers who do not have to be here in this country to work their thing.

Covid times taught us most any of them could stay at home to do their work, whether here in US or elsewhere.

I wonder why Amazon, Google or MS even bring them over here in the first place if they could get them to stay in their own country and get paid much more cheaply than if they were located here.

[Cyber Liberty]

Ok, you are concentrating on AI, I understand.

I was looking at programmers who do not have to be here in this country to work their thing.

Covid times taught us most any of them could stay at home to do their work, whether here in US or elsewhere.

I wonder why Amazon, Google or MS even bring them over here in the first place if they could get them to stay in their own country and get paid much more cheaply than if they were located here.

They can write code in their own country, and I expect they will, as they always have.  Nothing new.

[cato potatoe]

I wonder why Amazon, Google or MS even bring them over here in the first place if they could get them to stay in their own country and get paid much more cheaply than if they were located here.

The temp workers are terrified of losing their legal status and being sent home.  They will do literally anything to stay, which is appealing to the scuzz balls who manage tech companies. 

[DB]

Ok, you are concentrating on AI, I understand.

I was looking at programmers who do not have to be here in this country to work their thing.

Covid times taught us most any of them could stay at home to do their work, whether here in US or elsewhere.

I wonder why Amazon, Google or MS even bring them over here in the first place if they could get them to stay in their own country and get paid much more cheaply than if they were located here.

Highly skilled, disciplined individuals can work from anywhere and be very productive, even more productive than an office environment. Many people don't have the discipline or ability to communicate effectively to work from home productively and require a team in an office setting to be productive. That's why many employers are requiring their employees to come into the office on a regular schedule. Productivity and quality have nosedived for many companies since Covid.