Washington – On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a declaration that requires annual visa fees worth $ 100,000 for high skills foreign workers and provided a “gold card” with a value of one million dollars as a path for American citizenship for wealthy individuals, and moves that face almost confirmed legal challenges amid widespread criticism.
If the moves survive the legal crowd, it will make an amazing increase in prices. The visa fee for skilled workers will jump from $ 215. Investor visas fees, which are common in many European countries, will fall from 10,000 to $ 20,000 a year.
H-1B visas, which require at least a Bachelor’s degree, are intended for high-skilled jobs that technology companies find it difficult. Critics say the program is a pipeline for workers abroad who are often ready to work for less than 60,000 dollars annually, much lower than salaries of more than $ 100,000 to technology workers in the United States.
Trump insisted on Friday that the technology industry will not oppose this step. “All major companies” on the plane said.
Representatives of the largest technology companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, immediately did not respond to the comment messages on Friday. Microsoft rejected the comment.
Lootnick said that the change would likely lead to much less H-1B visas than the annual maximum of 85,000 because “it is no longer economical anymore.”
“If you will train people, you will train Americans.” Lootnick said at a phone conference with correspondents. “If you have a very sophisticated engineer and want to bring them … you can pay $ 100,000 a year for your H-1B visa.”
Trump also announced that he will Start selling a “gold card” visa With a road to American citizenship for a million dollars after examining it. For companies, it will cost $ 2 million to care for the employee.
The Trump Platinum Card will be available for $ 5 million and allow foreigners to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subjected to US tax on non -American income. Trump has announced a $ 5 million gold card in February to replace the current investor visa – this is the platinum card now.
Lootnick said that gold and platinum cards will replace the visas based on employment that provide tracks for citizenship, including for professors, scientists, artists and athletes.
H-1BS visas who say they are used to replacing American workers with this step. American technology workers, a support group, described it as “the best thing” to completely cancel visas.
Doug Rand, a senior official in US citizenship and immigration services during the Biden administration, said that the increase in the proposed fees was “legal not prohibited.”
“This is not a real policy – it is the service of fans to restrict immigration,” Rand said. “Trump gets his addresses, leads to a trend of panic, and does not care whether this remains in initial contact with the courts.”
Lutnick said that the H-1B fees and a gold card can be presented by the president, but the platinum card needs the approval of Congress.
Historically, H-1B visas were removed through the lottery. This year, Amazon was the best H-1B reference recipient with more than 10,000 granted, followed by Tata Consultance, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Geographical, California has the largest number of H-1B workers.
Critics say that H-1B spots often go to beginners’ jobs, instead of higher positions with unique skill requirements. Although the program is not supposed to reduce American wages or replace American workers, critics say that companies can pay less by classifying jobs at lower skills levels, even if the specific workers have more experience.
As a result, many American companies find that it is cheaper to contract with assistance, programming offices and other basic tasks for consulting companies such as WIPRO, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tata in India, IBM and CGNIZANT in the United States, consulting companies employ foreign workers, often from India, and contract them to save money.
First Lady Melania Trump, former Melania Knus, was awarded the H-1B work visa in October 1996 to work as a model. I was born in Slovenia.
In 2024, the lottery tenders for visas decreased nearly 40 %, which the authorities said as a result of success against the people who were “playing the system” by submitting multiple requests, sometimes doubtful, to increase the chances of selection unfairly.
The main technology companies that use H-1B visas have sought changes after huge increases in bids that left their employees and potential appointments with less-ranging chances to win the random lottery. In the face of what she admitted is likely to be fraud and ill -treatment, USCis said this year that every employee has only one shot in the lottery, whether the person has one or 50 job offer.
Critics welcomed the change, but they said more to do. AFL-CIO wrote last year that although changes in the lottery “included some steps in the right direction”, they were less than the necessary reforms. The working group wants visas granted to companies that pay the highest wages instead of the random lottery, a change that Trump sought during his first term at the White House.
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Ortutay mentioned from Auckland, California. The Associated Press Adriana Gomez is in Fort. Lauderdale, Florida, and Ellite Spagte in San Diego contributed to this report.