H-1B visa: US tech sector scrambles in the face of $100,000 fees

Startups and smaller firms could bear the brunt of Trump's new H-1B visa fee, and some fear it could thwart US innovation.

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Mr Singh, a software engineering manager based in the Seattle area, knew that his employer - a US startup - would not be in a position to pay the fee on top of his current salary.

Mr Singh, who has been working in the US for ten years - the last seven of them on a H-1B visa - breathed a slight sigh of relief when the White House clarified on Saturday that for now, the fee only applies to future applicants.

But his worries are an indication of the potentially far-reaching consequences of the change, as it creates new burdens for businesses, especially startups, with what some say could be significant fallout for innovation and economic growth.

The H-1B programme is often associated with the giants of the US tech sector. Amazon tops the list of beneficiaries, with more than 10,000 H-1B visas approved in the first half of 2025. Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google each secured more than 4,000 visas through the programme through June.