Critics of the H-1B visa program have long alleged that it is fraudulently used by corporations to replace American workers by exploiting cheap foreign labor.

This past week saw President Donald Trump react to that criticism by significantly increasing the amount that employers will be charged in their H-1B applications. 

Visa application fee will rise to $100,000

According to the Washington Examiner, the mandatory application fee required for an H-1B visa will soon go up to $100,000.

The newspaper noted how up until this point, H-1B visas have been awarded based on a lottery system which cost $215 to enter.

What's more, the Form I-129 petition which an employer must file on behalf of a successful H-1B visa applicant has hitherto come with a  $780 fee.

The changes were outlined in a proclamation which Trump issued on Friday titled, "Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers."

An exception will be made for those whose work is "in the national interest"

"The H-1B nonimmigrant visa program was created to bring temporary workers into the United States to perform additive, high-skilled functions, but it has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor," it began.

"The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security," the document continued.

The proclamation complained that employers abuse the H-1B program to "artificially suppress wages" while at the same time "making it more difficult to attract and retain the highest skilled subset of temporary workers."

It further explained that the new fee will not apply to those whose employment is "in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States."

The president previously admitted to employer H-1B holders at his properties

Trump's new H-1B crackdown appears to represent a reversal from the position he took this past December during an interview with the New York Post.

Trump supports immigration visas backed by Musk: ‘I have many H-1B visas on my properties’ https://t.co/edlqStfNxQ pic.twitter.com/F4l6Lhgi1p

— New York Post (@nypost) December 28, 2024

"I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them," Trump was quoted as saying of the H-1B visa program.

"I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program," the president went on to tell the newspaper.