Trump extends the $100,000 H-1B charge for another year

President Trump has extended his push for US$100,000 H-1B visas by another year^4,5. He signed an executive order and a proclamation described by the White House as continuing to protect American national and economic security and American workers from abuses of the H-1B visa program¹.

The proclamation refers back to September 19, 2025, when Proclamation 10973, titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, was issued to address significant abuses of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program³. The restrictions enacted by that 2025 proclamation have proven to be highly effective, the new document states³. The White House said the 2025 proclamation effectively deterred abuses in the program and that further action would now follow¹. Other coverage described the step as extending the H-1B fee⁶.

Why it matters to investors

The stated rationale is a mismatch between design and use. The executive order says the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program was created to identify uniquely skilled and highly specialized foreign temporary workers to strategically supplement the United States economy, and that instead the program has been used otherwise².

For employers, the practical effect is that a six-figure charge attached to the visa continues for a second year rather than lapsing^4,5. The accompanying order also addresses program integrity and interagency coordination in how the visa is administered, which bears on processing as well as cost^1,2.

The White House framed the action as further enhancing program integrity and interagency coordination in the H-1B visa program¹. The proclamation covers entry, while the executive order covers administration^2,3.

What to watch

The measure arrived in a cluster of announcements. It was reported alongside the White House press bans and new pressure on buyers of Russian oil, as part of a set of policy moves with consequences for India, global trade, immigration and the United States⁶.

Three things follow. The first is how the interagency coordination provisions are implemented, since the executive order and the proclamation do different jobs and the order is the one covering administration^1,2. The second is whether the extension is challenged, given that the original restriction dates to the 2025 proclamation and has now been carried forward rather than replaced³. The third is the effect on hiring by employers who rely on the category, for whom the charge is now a second-year cost rather than a one-off^4,5.