Trump admin proposes overhaul to U.S. H-1B specialty work visas

RICHMOND, Virginia - As the United States pursues its immigration crackdown, the administration of President Donald Trump is also seeking major overhauls to worker visas intended for specialty occupations like the technology industry.

The Trump administration in mid-September proposed a new $100,000 fee for visa applications and changes that would favour higher-paying jobs.

The focus on higher wages would make it harder for foreign workers with smaller salaries, such as teachers, to be eligible.

Here's what to know:

What changes are being proposed?

Trump issued an executive order on Sept. 19 requiring a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications, saying the current system had been "exploited" to replace U.S. workers with "lower-paid, lower-skilled labour."

The H-1B visa programme is reserved for people from other countries who are employed in specialty occupations in the United States, frequently in the tech field.

They can include software engineers, tech programme managers and other IT professionals.

Separately, the administration proposed formally overhauling the system to favour "higher skilled" and "higher paid" applicants, saying the move would better serve the "Congressional intent" for the H-1B system.

Immigrant rights groups criticised the proposals, saying the $100,000 fee would be a major barrier for younger applicants, notably students.

"By making this process prohibitively expensive, this order … is effectively telling the world’s brightest graduates to take their skills elsewhere, undermining our universities, businesses and long-term competitiveness," said Todd Schulte, president of the advocacy group FWD.us.

What are H-1Bs and how do they differ from other U.S. work visa programmes?

H-1B visa recipients typically have to hold a U.S. bachelor's or higher degree or an equivalent foreign degree among their education and other certificates.

People in the United States on H-1Bs can extend beyond an initial six-year time frame - three years plus a three-year extension - if a green card application has been filed.

Under the terms of the visas, workers who are laid off face the prospect of having to leave the country within 60 days unless they can find another job or manage to change their immigration status.

Other work programmes include H-2A visas, for temporary agricultural workers, and H-2B visas for seasonal non-agricultural workers.

Who could be affected by policy changes?

People from India accounted for the vast majority of approved H-1B beneficiaries in 2023, followed by China.

This story was updated on Sept. 30 to include the latest developments.

(Reporting by David Sherfinski; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst.)