White House Defends Steep H-1B Fee, Calls It an ‘America First’ Jobs Measure
The administration argued that the decision was made in view of widespread abuse of the program, loss of American jobs, and national security concerns.
Washington: After President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, the White House on Friday released a detailed fact sheet defending the move. The administration argued that the decision was made in view of widespread abuse of the program, loss of American jobs, and national security concerns.
According to the White House, the hefty fee will serve as a particular obstacle for companies that replace American employees with lower-paid foreign labor. The government stated that the measure is aimed at prioritizing skilled and high-wage individuals.
Key Points from the White House:
🔹 Growth in the technology sector: H-1B visa holders accounted for 32% of IT jobs in 2003, rising to more than 65% by 2025.
🔹 Unemployment among US graduates: 6.1% of recent computer science graduates and 7.5% of computer engineering graduates are unemployed, much higher than in other fields.
🔹 Gap between foreign hiring and US employment: The number of foreign-born STEM employees doubled between 2000 and 2019, while overall STEM jobs grew by only 44.5%.
🔹 Layoffs at large companies: Several firms have been accused of securing thousands of H-1B visas despite laying off thousands of American workers. One company reportedly laid off 16,000 Americans in 2025 while obtaining 5,189 H-1B visas. Another received 1,698 visas while cutting 2,400 jobs.
🔹 Training replacements: Reports allege that US employees were forced under NDAs to train their H-1B replacements.
🔹 National security concerns: The White House argues that reliance on foreign labor in critical technology and infrastructure threatens America’s self-sufficiency and security.
Future Reforms:
President Trump has directed the Department of Labor to establish new wage rules to prevent H-1B workers from being underpaid. The Department of Homeland Security has also been instructed to prioritize higher-skilled, higher-wage workers in approving visas.
According to the White House, all new jobs since Trump took office have gone to US citizens, while illegal immigrants have been excluded from federal workforce programs.
The administration described the new $100,000 fee as an “America First” measure aimed at fixing the system and protecting American jobs from the influence of foreign labor.
