American jobs first: Hefty new H-1B visa fee will likely curb legal immigration, especially from India

As immigration detention centers sprout up over the country and deportations continue, the Trump administration is setting its sights on another important immigration issue: H-1B visas.

According to a Bloomberg report, Trump plans to sign a proclamation as early as Friday that would overhaul the H-1B visa program, one of the most heavily exploited visa programs in the government.

155,205 out of 189,404 H-1B cases originated from India.

Citing a White House official, the report details that the proclamation would add a $100,000 fee to H-1B visa applications. The official added that the proclamation would restrict entry under the H-1B program unless accompanied by the payment.

The H-1B visa program has famously been known to pull heavily from India and is exploited disproportionately in the technology sector of the economy. The official stated that the proclamation would be in place in order to stop the flow of H-1B workers, who have undercut the American worker.

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Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

According to available government data from roughly the past five years, 155,205 out of 189,404 H-1B cases originated from India. China came in second place at 28,969 visas.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the report on X, posting a link to the Bloomberg article with its headline, "Trump to Add New $100,000 Fee for H-1B Visas in Latest Crackdown," as the caption.

Fees directly tied to the H-1B visa application are, per Bloomberg, rather "modest." The fee to register for the lottery is just $215, and while other fees can sometimes bring the total to as much as $10,000, those costs are almost always borne by the employer.

In tandem with the proclamation, Trump is expected to order Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to further overhaul the visa program to root out fraud and abuse in the current system.

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