President Donald Trump\u2019s $100,000 fee for H-1B visas sowed mass confusion and panic among top U.S. companies overnight, forcing the White House to clarify the requirements.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt<\/a> took to X<\/a> to explain which visa holders the fee applies to and when.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is NOT an annual fee,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.\u201d<\/p>\n Leavitt added that existing H-1B holders currently outside the U.S. will not be charged $100,000 to come back, and that they can continue to leave and re-enter as they do right now.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s new H-1B policy also applies only to new visas, not renewals for current holders, she explained, noting that it will take effect in the next lottery cycle.<\/p>\n On Friday, Trump signed a proclamation that imposes a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas and announced a $1 million \u201cgold card\u201d visa that can serve as a pathway for wealthy investors to gain U.S. citizenship.<\/p>\n At the time, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested the fee, which kicks in at 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday, would be annual.<\/p>\n When asked if the policy applies to existing holders, he replied that companies with H-1B employees must ask \u201cIs the person valuable enough to have a $100,000 a year payment to the government? Or they should head home and go hire an American?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That caused U.S. tech giants, which rely heavily on H-1Bs, to warn employees with those visas against foreign travel<\/a>.<\/p>\n Microsoft<\/a>,\u00a0Alphabet<\/a>,\u00a0Amazon<\/a> and others told affected employees to return to the U.S. on Saturday and cancel any plans to leave the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we don\u2019t have all the answers right now, we ask that you prioritize the recommendations above,\u201d a message from Microsoft<\/a> said, according to Bloomberg.<\/p>\n Top banks JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs sent similar messages to employees on H-1B visas, according to the Financial Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n H-1B visas had previously been a divisive issue in Trump\u2019s circle<\/a>. Late last year, before falling out with the president,\u00a0Elon Musk<\/a>\u00a0called for more highly skilled workers as did and fellow entrepreneur\u00a0Vivek Ramaswamy<\/a>. But MAGA hardliners have demanded that U.S. companies hire more American workers.<\/p>\n \u00a0In a reply to a post taunting him about H-1Bs, the South African-born Musk\u00a0hit back sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason I\u2019m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX<\/a>, Tesla<\/a>, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,\u201d\u00a0he wrote<\/a> in December. \u201cTake a big step back and F\u2013K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.\u201d<\/p>\n