President Trump has announced a new policy move that would slap a $100,000 fee on each H-1B skilled-worker petition, framing it as a way to curb “abuse” of the program and protect U.S. jobs. According to reporting, the White House plans to require the payment by proclamation, effectively making sponsorship contingent on paying the fee and restricting entry without it. Legal challenges are expected almost immediately, with critics arguing the executive action conflicts with existing immigration statutes that set how fees are determined.
Why does this matter beyond D.C. headlines? The H-1B pathway has long supplied talent for sectors like tech, engineering, and healthcare. Imposing a six-figure charge per worker would likely reshape hiring, for big companies and startups alike, by making sponsorship prohibitively expensive and pushing costs onto product prices, wages, or both. Even immigration attorneys watching the rollout describe it as a sweeping overhaul that could slow down growth in innovation-heavy industries and accelerate offshoring rather than reverse it.
Supporters of the fee say it will deter outsourcing models that undercut pay; opponents counter that blanket costs won’t distinguish bad actors from employers genuinely filling critical shortages. However the lawsuits shake out, one thing is certain: when policy swings this hard, it lands on people...workers, families, and the communities that depend on them.
At Stop Voting Stupid, we believe opportunity shouldn’t be auctioned to the highest bidder. The country thrives when talent can contribute, build, and belong, no matter where it comes from. If that vision resonates, you’ll probably like our “Earth Is For Everyone” drop, a reminder that borders may define countries, but they don’t define who gets to care about the future we share.
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