A Gut Reaction That Speaks Truth
When news broke that the U.S. would now charge $100,000 for new H-1B visa applications, the immediate reaction from many was visceral: “This is disgusting.” That instinct is not an overreaction — it is clarity. Sometimes, a single policy can crystallize the direction a country is heading, exposing deeper currents of fear, exclusion, and authoritarianism.
On September 19, 2025, the president signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on all new H-1B petitions, effective 12:01 a.m. September 21, 2025. The White House clarified that the rule applies only to new applicants — not current holders or renewals — and that it is a one-time charge, after initial confusion about whether it would be annual.
Overnight, opportunity for thousands of highly skilled workers became financially impossible, not because of lack of talent or need, but because of an arbitrary financial barrier. This is not just policy. It is a statement of values — and the message is clear: you are not welcome unless you can pay a ransom.
The Policy: What We Know So Far
The H-1B program has long been a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, bringing in highly skilled professionals in technology, engineering, medicine, and research. Each year, the government allocates 65,000 cap-subject visas plus 20,000 additional visas for advanced degree holders, totaling 85,000 under the statutory cap. Thousands more are granted through cap-exempt employers such as universities and research institutions, making the true annual number of “new” H-1Bs closer to 120,000–130,000.
The new $100,000 fee is unprecedented. For context, previous filing costs were in the low-thousands of dollars (plus attorney fees). Multiplying that burden by twenty or thirty times is not simply an “update” to administrative costs. It is a barrier.
Condemnation has been swift. India’s trade body called it “concerning,” U.S. lawmakers have called it “reckless,” and immigrant rights advocates warn of humanitarian consequences. Many see it as something far worse — discrimination hiding under the polite phrase immigration reform.
Disguised Racism Under the Veil of Policy
Here is the data no one can ignore:
- In FY2024, ~71% of H-1B approvals went to Indian nationals
- 12% went to Chinese nationals
- The remaining ~17% covered every other country combined.
Put differently: 83% of those directly hit by the $100,000 barrier are Asian immigrants.
On its surface, the rule does not mention race, nationality, or ethnicity. But its effect is highly racialized. By targeting the very program that overwhelmingly benefits Indian and Chinese professionals, the policy disproportionately blocks Asians while leaving most of the rest of the world untouched.
This is not an accident. It is part of a pattern. Under Donald Trump, we’ve already seen:
- The Muslim travel ban of 2017.
- Cuts to refugee admissions to historic lows.
- The “public charge” rule penalizing immigrants deemed too poor.
- Now, the H-1B fee that all but guarantees fewer Asians entering the U.S.
When a policy consistently disadvantages non-white immigrants, it does not need to mention race to be racist.
The Human Impact: Lives Interrupted, Dreams Destroyed
Immigration policy is often discussed in abstract numbers, but every number is a life. Behind every H-1B petition is a story of sacrifice, study, ambition, and family.
Take the student who came to the U.S. for a master’s degree, hoping to transition to an H-1B so she can stay and work. That $100,000 barrier doesn’t just end her chance — it uproots her life. Years of work, tens of thousands in tuition, gone in an instant.
Consider the startup trying to hire a brilliant AI engineer from abroad. For many small firms, $100,000 is their entire annual burn rate. That hire simply won’t happen. The innovation is lost, the work goes elsewhere, and the U.S. loses another opportunity.
Or think of the families. Many H-1B workers are parents building lives in America, with children in U.S. schools. A blocked or failed petition doesn’t just mean lost productivity — it means families uprooted, children displaced, and dreams crushed.
These are not abstractions. They are human lives reduced to numbers on a balance sheet.
Echoes of Authoritarianism
Why do some people say this feels like the “beginning of another Hitler era”? It’s not hyperbole — it’s pattern recognition.
Authoritarian regimes rarely begin with mass violence. They begin with exclusion. With policies that seem “technical” or “administrative,” but that deliberately target specific groups. They build walls of bureaucracy that push out those deemed undesirable.
The $100,000 H-1B fee is exactly that kind of wall.
- It scapegoats immigrants for job insecurity.
- It creates financial barriers that look neutral on paper but are discriminatory in practice.
- It normalizes cruelty as a tool of governance.
The U.S. is not Nazi Germany, and such comparisons should not be made lightly. But history matters because it teaches us what to watch for. When governments create policies that strip opportunity from entire groups while justifying them as “protection,” we should hear alarms.
The Economic Fallout: America Undermining Itself
Supporters argue this is about protecting U.S. workers. The reality is the opposite.
The data shows:
- 60–65% of H-1Bs are in computer-related jobs, many in AI, software, and R&D.
- Median salaries for H-1Bs are around $123,600, often higher than U.S. averages.
- U.S. companies from Google to small research labs depend on this pipeline of global talent.
Modeling scenarios show the damage clearly:
- If only 10% of petitions go forward under the new fee, ~117,000 new approvals disappear annually.
- That means ~83,000 Indian nationals and ~14,000 Chinese nationals blocked every single year.
- Billions in potential revenue, research, and innovation lost — not because the U.S. lacks need or talent, but because of a financial wall.
Meanwhile, Canada, Europe, and Australia are welcoming this same talent with open arms. Talent doesn’t disappear; it relocates. And the U.S. falls behind.
A Question of National Identity
This policy is not only about visas. It is about what America chooses to be.
Does the U.S. stand for fairness, openness, and opportunity? Or for exclusion, fear, and barriers?
The $100,000 fee is more than a visa policy — it is a litmus test. It reveals whether America’s identity is truly rooted in democracy and diversity, or in narrow nationalism and racialized exclusion.
Immigration has always been America’s engine of growth. Shutting the door now, in a moment of global competition for talent, is an act of self-sabotage. Worse, it is an act of cruelty toward people who came here in good faith, studied here, built lives here, and hoped to contribute.
What Can Be Done
Policies like this can feel overwhelming, but history also shows that collective action works. The Muslim ban faced immediate protests and legal challenges. Family separation faced mass outcry that forced changes. The same must happen now.
Here’s what can be done:
- Contact representatives. Demand congressional action to block or limit executive overreach on visa policy.
- Support immigrant rights groups like the ACLU, NILC, and local nonprofits who will bring legal challenges.
- Amplify immigrant voices. Share the stories of those most affected — not just numbers, but human lives.
- Support businesses that push back. Many companies will be forced to speak out; their advocacy can shift the narrative.
- Stay informed. Read credible reporting from Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, and others covering this issue.
Silence is complicity. Every voice matters.
Choosing a Different Future
The $100,000 H-1B fee is not just bad policy — it is a moral failure. It tells the world that America values wealth over skill, barriers over openness, exclusion over diversity. It targets Asians disproportionately, cloaks racism in bureaucracy, and risks setting the country on a path of authoritarian exclusion.
But policy is not destiny. It is a choice. And choices can be reversed.
If America wants to remain a beacon of opportunity, innovation, and fairness, this policy cannot stand. We must resist it — loudly, clearly, and together. Because the alternative is not just lost visas. It is a future where cruelty becomes normalized, and where opportunity is reserved only for those who can pay the highest price.
