Former President Donald Trump inked a proclamation on Friday assessing a$ 100,000 monthly figure on H- 1B visa operations, a move that could hit the US tech sector hard. The assiduity leans heavily on workers from India and China to fill critical places.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick verified the new policy at a press briefing, saying that major pots had formerly been briefed. “ A hundred- thousand bones
a time for H- 1B visas, and all of the big companies are on board, ” Lutnick said during an Oval Office event with Trump. He added, “ Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs. ”
H- 1B visas have long been a flash point between Trump and Silicon Valley. The tech sector, which poured millions into his crusade, depends further than any other part of the frugality on these visas. About two- thirds of H- 1B jobs are computer- related, but the program also covers masterminds, preceptors, and healthcare workers.
Amazon alone secured further than 10,000 H- 1B blessings in the first half of 2025. Microsoft and Meta Platforms each entered over 5,000. The program offers 65,000 visas annually for technical workers, plus 20,000 further for those with advanced degrees.
Critics of the program say it suppresses stipend and sidelines good American workers. sympathisers, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, argue it brings in largely professed gift the US needs to stay competitive. Musk himself formerly held an H- 1B visa before getting a naturalised citizen.
Some advise the new figure could make the US far less seductive to top global talent.However, it drastically reduces its capability to introduce and grow the frugality, ” wrote Deedy Das of Menlo gambles on X, “ If the US ceases to attract the stylish gift.
Lutnick defended the policy, saying it would force companies to either hire Americans or bring in only the most precious foreign workers. “ Stop the gibberish, ” he said.
Legal experts are skeptical about whether Trump has the power to put such a massive figure without Congress. “ The chairman has literally zero legal authority to put a$ 100,000 figure on visas, ” wrote Aaron Reichlin- Melnick of the American Immigration Council on Bluesky. Current visa freights are only a many thousand bones
at most and are paid by employers, not aspirants. H- 1B visas generally last three to six times.
The advertisement follows a string of immigration measures from Trump aimed at confining or monetising legal entry. Last month, the US launched a airman program allowing consular officers to demand up to$ 15,000 in bonds for sightseer and business visas from countries with high overstay rates. In June, Trump assessed a trip ban on 19 nations. analogous sweats to limit H- 1B visas during his first term were struck down in court.
