Trump raises the cost of high tech visa application fees to $100,000 in immigration clampdown

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has increased the cost of US high tech visas dramatically to $100,000 from the current price of $1,000 as part of his ongoing programme to keep highly skilled workers from developing nations migrating.

Since assuming office in January last year, President Trump has made no secret of the fact that he intends to halt the migration of skilled workers to the US, irrespective of the effect this will have on the economy. Countries like India, Nigeria, China, Mexico, The Philippines, Brazil and Vietnam have always produced skilled workers who migrate to the US through the high tech visa programme.

However, in a closing of this loophole, President Trump has raised the application fee for these H-1B visas in what will be a big blow for Silicon Valley. One US official confirmed that the visa cost would be hiked to $100,000, compared with just under $1,000 now, in a move certain to limit the number of IT professionals migrating to the country.

In addition, the Trump administration will also take steps aimed at preventing tech workers  from undercutting the wages of native-born workers. Annually, the US awards 85,000 H-1B visas on a lottery system, with India accounting for around three-quarters of the recipients.

Large technology firms rely on Indian workers who either relocate to the US or come and go between the two countries. Tech entrepreneurs, including President Trump’s former ally Elon Musk, have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the US does not have enough home-grown talent to fill important sector job vacancies.