White House clarifies $100,000 H-1B visa fee as India, Nigeria weigh global talent mobility risks

The White House has moved to calm fears over the Trump administration’s controversial proclamation imposing an annual $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, clarifying that the surcharge will apply only to new applicants and not to current holders or renewals.

In a post on X, officials confirmed that those selected in this year’s H-1B lottery, due to take effect on October 1, are exempt. The announcement came after days of confusion that triggered anxiety in Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and among thousands of skilled foreign workers.

A week of uncertainty for U.S. businesses
The H-1B programme is a lifeline for U.S. employers seeking foreign nationals in speciality occupations ranging from software engineering to medical research. Companies including Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon had scrambled to contain employee concerns, advising workers on H-1B visas to delay foreign travel until the rules were clarified.

Industry groups described the uncertainty as damaging. “The H-1B programme is essential to maintaining global competitiveness in the U.S. technology sector,” one industry representative said. “While clarifying that the fee applies only to new applicants is welcome, the disruption of the past week has already unsettled both businesses and workers.”

The administration maintains that the measure is designed to ensure that the visa scheme prioritises high-skilled labour while strengthening domestic workforce protections.

India pushes back on fee hike
India, the single largest source of H-1B recipients, has expressed concern over the financial and humanitarian implications of the surcharge. According to U.S. government data, Indians accounted for more than 70 per cent of approved H-1B visas in 2024.

“The mobility and exchange of skilled talent have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness, and wealth creation in both the United States and India,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement.

He warned that the new policy could disrupt families and limit innovation-driven collaboration. “This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. The government hopes these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the U.S. authorities,” he said.

The ministry noted that Indian industry groups had already begun assessing the potential impact, with both countries expected to consult on ways to manage the fallout.

Nigeria and Africa watch closely
Beyond India, the fee could also reshape mobility patterns for other countries with rising stakes in the global knowledge economy. Nigeria, which has consistently ranked among the top African sources of skilled migrants to the U.S., is watching developments closely.

Demand for American work, study, and business visas remains strong among Nigerian professionals, particularly in information technology, healthcare, and finance. The H-1B visa pathway is seen not only as a route for personal career advancement but also as a channel through which skills and remittances flow back into the Nigerian economy.

Analysts warn that a steep surcharge risks pricing out talent from developing markets. “For countries like Nigeria, where tech ecosystems are booming but global mobility remains critical for skills transfer, the new U.S. visa regime could create fresh bottlenecks,” one Lagos-based policy expert told BusinessDay.

Broader immigration crackdown
The H-1B fee is the latest in a string of Trump-era measures tightening U.S. immigration. In 2025 alone, Washington revoked more than 6,000 student visas and signalled plans to revive a visa bond programme requiring some visitors to deposit up to $15,000 before entering on business or tourist permits.

Visa applicants are also required to disclose five years’ worth of social media handles, a policy aimed at enhancing background checks but widely criticised as invasive.

For businesses and workers alike, the cumulative effect has been growing uncertainty around one of the world’s most competitive immigration systems.

What next?
While the White House has moved quickly to narrow the scope of the fee, businesses remain cautious. Questions linger about whether additional adjustments to the H-1B programme are forthcoming and how strictly enforcement will be carried out.

For India, the focus is now on diplomatic engagement to safeguard the flow of skilled talent that underpins its own booming technology sector. For Nigeria and other emerging markets, the concern is how higher barriers could slow down the global circulation of expertise that has become a vital driver of local innovation.

What is clear is that the $100,000 fee has already altered the calculus for companies and workers alike. Even if existing visa holders are spared, the sheer size of the surcharge signals a new era of costlier, more restrictive access to the U.S. labour market — one that could reshape the balance of global talent mobility for years to come.(BusinessDay)