Trump’s $100K Visa Fee: Tech’s ‘Stay Put or Ship Out’ Order
On the eve of September 21, 2025, lucky H-1B visa holders at Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and JPMorgan got a shocker: an executive order signed by Donald Trump — who claims he’s always loved H-1B visas faster than a TikTok trend — slapped a $100,000 fee on every H-1B visa petition or renewal. Amazon promptly told nearly 15,000 of its foreign tech talent to cancel their globetrotting dreams and ‘stay put,’ warning that stepping outside the US might turn them into unauthorized tourists. Microsoft echoed the panic, assuring their visa-holders that yes, April 1st vibes are real but no jokes allowed. Even finance giant JPMorgan, who sponsors 2,000 H-1B techies mostly with 'software' in their job titles, sighed collectively. Officials claim this pays for ‘very valuable’ foreign workers or forces companies to ‘hire Americans.’ Except no one told Jeff Bezos and pals how to train those Americans — looks like it’s straight to the ‘Stay in the US’ survival plan with zero travel perks.
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When stepping outside the US costs $100K in Trump fees, tech’s version of adulting is turning into the world's most expensive staycation. Goodbye vacations, hello desk fortresses!
Tech workers got a new travel rule: don’t leave, because reentry now costs more than a Tesla Model 3. Plot twist: their favorite 'very valuable workers' are also indefinitely grounded.
At $100K per H-1B visa renewal, Trump's new policy is basically charging tech companies a ransom to keep their foreign geniuses employed—or just practicing American talent training via smoke signals.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 9/20/2025 | Author: Pranav Dixit
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