Trump sets $100K fee for skilled foreign worker visas, $1M for ‘gold card’

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a new annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, among other changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers that has come under scrutiny by the administration.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the fee will be $100,000 per year and added that “all big companies” are on board.
H-1B visas are meant to bring the best and brightest foreigners for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find difficult to fill with qualified U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Instead, the program has evolved into a pipeline for foreign workers willing to work for as little as $60,000 per year. That is far less than $100,000-plus salaries typically paid to U.S. technology workers.
Trump insisted on Friday that the technology sector would not oppose the move. “I think they’re going to be very happy,” he said.Representatives for the biggest tech companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Friday. Microsoft declined to comment.
Trump also announced he will start selling a “gold card” visa with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship. The “Trump Gold Card” will be available for a processing fee and a $1 million contribution after vetting. For companies, it will cost $2 million.
The “Trump Platinum Card,” meanwhile, will be available for a $5 million contribution and will allow foreigners to spend up to 270 days in the U.S. without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income. Trump announced a $5 million gold card in February to replace an existing investor visa — this is now the platinum card.First lady Melania Trump, the former Melania Knauss, was granted an H-1B work visa in October 1996 to work as a model. She was born in Slovenia.The H-1B program was created in 1990 for people with a bachelor’s degree or higher in fields where jobs are deemed hard to fill, especially science, technology, engineering and math. Critics say they allow companies to pay lower wages with fewer labor protections.