US Imposes $100K H-1B Visa Fee Impacting Tech Recruitment

In September 2025, the US President introduced a $100,000 fee for specific H-1B visa petitions involving foreign professionals, aiming to discourage misuse of the visa program and protect American workers. This change has significantly influenced how US technology companies recruit global talent.

By February 2026, only about 70 employers had paid this fee, leading companies to increasingly hire foreign professionals already residing in the US. Major technology firms quickly adapted to this new landscape; for instance, OpenAI recorded 27 new-employment H-1B approvals in the first half of fiscal 2026, while Stripe doubled its approvals from 23 to 46.

Additionally, companies relied more on change-of-employer petitions for existing H-1B holders, with OpenAI securing 126 such petitions, Databricks 89, and Anthropic 48. This situation has created an advantage for larger technology companies, enabling them to compete for skilled foreign workers in America without incurring the offshore recruitment fee, posing challenges for smaller businesses.