H-1B visa fee higher than annual salary of most H-1B visa holders

US president Donald Trump announced major changes to the H1B visa programme on Friday. An HT analysis shows that it amounts to effectively killing the programme. The new visa fees of $100,000 announced by Trump is more than the median annual salary of a fresh H-1B visa holder and more than 80% of the average annual salary of all H-1B visa holders. As the biggest beneficiary of the programme, India stands to lose the most. Perhaps more than the 50% tariffs Trump has put on Indian exports. This is yet another debilitating blow to Indo-US relations.

What changes has Trump made to the H1B visa programme?

The Financial Times describes it in the simplest manner.

“The six-figure ($100,000) application fee — which (US Secretary of Commerce Howard) Lutnick said employers would have to pay annually — marks a departure for the government, which currently charges $215 to register for an H-1B visa lottery and an additional $780 for employers that sponsor visa applicants. A White House executive order states that the payment is an application fee and does not mention an annual payment”.

In addition to the H1Bs, the Trump administration has also announced a gold-card visa scheme where individuals and corporations can pay $1 million and $ 2million to get a US visa. In rupee terms this is almost ₹9crore and 18 crore for a visa.

What could the new programme mean for H1B visas?

Trump has just announced it. He often changes his mind. But there is good reason to believe that the new H1B visa regime is tantamount to killing the programme. This is because the visa fees might have become equal to almost a full-year wage of the average H1B employee. For somebody seeking their first employment under the H1B visa, the visa fee is now more than the annual wage. According to a 2025 report by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS) the median wage for initial employment under the H1B visa programme was $97000.This number was slightly higher for continuing H1B visas ($132000) giving an average amount of $1,20,000.

If the visa fees become higher than the annual salary of the employee for whom the visa is being sought, it is extremely unlikely that the applications will even be made.

India got more H1B visas than other nine in top ten countries combined

Of the 399,395 H1B visas approved in 2024, Indians received an overwhelming 71%. China was a distant second with just 11.7%. India has dominated the number of H1B visa grantees historically as well. Clearly, the new regime will hurt India the most.