Trump Gold Card & the Game-Changing H-1B Visa Fees
On the 19th of September, 2025, within the premises of the Oval Office, White House, the U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed an executive order that paves the way for the Trump Gold Card. This proclamation spearheads a significant revamp of the H-1B visa program, mutualizing a $100,000 fee for each application. The reason cited was to rein in the rampant usage of H-1B visas, as mentioned by an anonymous White House authority.
The ordination of an annual due of $100,000 on H-1B visa usage stirred up the Indian tech industry. This announcement was made amidst an already volatile macroeconomic landscape, aggravated further by recent surge in tariffs. As per the data pulled from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Indian firms take the lead in H-1B visas.
Between the fiscal years of 2009 and 2025, significant players include TCS with 98,259 visas, Cognizant with 92,435, Infosys with 87,654, and Wipro with 77,289 visas, ranking among the program’s main beneficiaries. This proposition may also have palpable influences across ten sectors as outlined below.
Initially, there would be escalated expenses linked with employing international talent. Some weeks ago, the HIRE Act was launched by the Trump government aspiring to enhance US employment by imposing taxes on companies that hire more foreign labor over American manpower. The proposed H-1B visa fee, in alignment with the HIRE Act, could make sponsoring H-1B visa holders feasible majorly for superior or specially skilled roles. Businesses might find their profitability strained due to higher recruitment costs in the US as compared to countries like India.
Secondly, Indian IT companies might face considerable strain. Based on USCIS data, firms such as TCS, Infosys, and Wipro continue to lead in H-1B visa utilization in FY25. TCS has been granted 5,505 visas, trailed by Cognizant with 2,493, Infosys with 2,004, and Wipro with 1,523. The increased fee coupled with a stormy economic climate may put profits at risk and lead to cost-cutting measures or changes in business strategies, despite the gradual decrease in H-1B talent dependence in the Indian IT industry.
Thirdly, prominent American tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Apple may witness augmented operational costs due to increased fees for H-1B visa sponsorship. In FY25, Amazon took the lead with 10,044 applications, followed by Microsoft with a count of 5,189, Meta with 5,123, Apple with 4,202, and Google with 4,181.
The impact of this policy change could spread beyond the tech sector, potentially influencing sectors such as e-commerce, automotive, healthcare, and banking and financial services (BFSI), as these industries are among the top 100 beneficiaries of the H-1B program.
The increased H-1B application fee could indirectly affect H-4 visa holders as well. The H-4 visa is extended to dependents – spouses and unmarried children of certain non-immigrant workers, permitting them to reside in the U.S for the duration of the primary visa holder’s authorized stay. It also allows H-4 visa holders to undertake studies and, in certain scenarios, apply for work authorization.
This policy could also exert pressure on international students. The F-1 visa permits individuals to enter the USA as full-time students. To gain an H-1B visa, F-1 holders need to secure a job offer from an American company willing to sponsor them. The employer then registers the candidate for the annual H-1B lottery, followed by filing a petition. The proposed H-1B fee increase could potentially limit sponsorship opportunities for F-1 students, thereby restricting their career possibilities post-graduation in the USA.
Financial markets may react to this development as well. Stocks of both global and Indian IT companies could be affected as investors foresee narrowed margins and slower US growth possibilities.
Notwithstanding these potential challenges, India’s talent market may find new opportunities amid the adversity. With the rise in visa costs, companies might consider offshoring roles or moving towards remote-first hiring practices, thereby circumventing high visa costs. This could create new opportunities in India, increasingly recognized as a global center for outsourced operations, including those from Gulf Countries.
Due to the escalation in H-1B costs, skilled professionals or budding talent could shift their focus to other regions like Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, or Gulf countries where immigration pathways are lesser priced.
Last but not least, curbing H-1B talent may put a dent in the leadership among tech giants based in the United States. Many top global tech leaders, including those from Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and IBM, have previously held H-1B visas, and future restrictions on foreign talent could potentially impact the country’s competitiveness.
In conclusion, the recent executive order by President Trump introducing significant changes to the H-1B visa program aims to curb its overuse. However, this move has sparked a debate of potentially affecting various sectors and stakeholders involved – from tech giants and other H-1B visa based sectors to international students and dependents of H-1B visa holders. The ripple effects of this policy change could go beyond mere economic implications, stirring the large-scale realignment of global talent.