$100,000: The new move by the Trump administration that will make immigration more difficult

The Trump administration has announced the introduction of a new $100,000 fee for the H-1B visa for skilled workers. While most Israelis immigrating to the USA use other visa categories, hundreds of Israelis rely on this specific visa. The administration's stated goal is to protect the American labor market.

On Monday, the Trump administration announced that it is promoting an exceptionally high fee for visas granted to foreign workers. The H-1B visa, which is issued to highly skilled foreign professionals—primarily in the technology sector—is at the center of these changes. Under the new measure, issuing such a visa will cost $103,000, a move expected to deter many employers from hiring foreign workers. It is estimated that the new fee will generate approximately $8.8 billion annually for the US.

Many experts have criticized the move, arguing that it will severely damage the American labor market. Demand for H-1B visas is exceptionally high, with 211,000 applications submitted this year against an annual cap of 85,000. Amazon has received the largest number of H-1B visas in recent years, alongside other tech giants such as Microsoft and Apple.

Two months ago, a similar move by the administration encountered legal challenges, and a federal judge struck down the fee in June. The administration has announced it will appeal the decision while simultaneously promoting the new fee, which reflects a broader policy as it also applies to skilled workers already residing in the United States.

According to the administration, the new fee will make employers less eager to hire H-1B visa holders instead of qualified American workers. The measure is intended to protect American workers and prevent companies from hiring foreign staff at lower wages. According to official US government data from 2024, the majority of these annual visas were granted to workers from India, China, the Philippines, South Korea, and Mexico.