New H-1B Visa Applicant Fee: H-1B visa program applicants will now be required to pay an annual fee of 100,000 (PS74,000) as a fee, which is set to exclude students and interns (Yean-Yeoh and Choi 4).
If you are an immigrant, you will receive a gold card: A new visas program named gold card will provide quicker visas to select immigrants at a fee of PS1 million.
Effective Date: September 21, 2023. This will also be restricted to new H-1B submissions only but the companies will have to pay the $100,000 fee per applicant to last six years as stated by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Howard Lutnick Statement:
You see the company has to make choices… is the individual worth it to pay them 100, 000 a year to the government or they should go home, and they should hire an American.
Industry Reactions:
Tech Giants: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google among others had a previous experience of benefiting through the program. Amazon urged employees in the US not to leave, but encouraged those in other countries to come back before a strict deadline.
The Nasscom Concerns of India: Nasscom has raised concerns because the implementation deadline of one-day has left businesses, professionals, and students in uncertainty around the world.
It will affect Small Businesses and Start-Ups:
Tahmina Watson of Watson Immigration Law warns the charge will have a devastating effect on small businesses and startups that in most cases cannot locate local employees.
According to Jorge Lopez of Littler Mendelson PC, the fee will make the US less competitive in technology and other sectors, forcing some businesses to outsource operations to other regions.
Historical Context
H-1B Program History: The H-1B application had a limit of 85,000 applications every year since 2004, and the application fees were approximately 1,500 dollars.
Recent Trends: Next fiscal year applications reduced to a four-year low of approximately 359,000. Last year, Amazon was the best beneficiary, next were, Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google.
Debate and Previous Orders:
The H-1B controversy has divided the Trump administration, which has both supporters and opponents.
Trump tried to streamline talent recruitment earlier in his term, offering graduates a green card and raising the level of scrutiny when it came to H-1B applications to reduce fraud.
Statistics on Rejections:
By Trump, the rejection rates of H-1B increased to a high level of 24% in 2018, which is considerably higher than during the previous administrations.
Resources
Summary
Be updated on the recent developments in the H-1B visa program and have the knowledge of the experts and industry leaders. Discover the way in which this new fee-based system may transform the US workforce and international talent recruitment.
READ MORE: H1B Visa Jobs in USA
