Trump Announces $100,000 Fee for High-Skilled Worker Visas, 'Gold Card' for Rich Foreigners

The Trump administration has announced a new plan to impose a $100,000 fee on high-skilled worker visas, which are widely used by tech companies in Silicon Valley. The move aims to constrain a key path to legal immigration, a key demand of Trump's nationalist base. The president also signed an executive order that would allow wealthy foreigners to pay $1 million for a 'Gold Card' for U.S. residency and companies to pay $2 million for a 'Corporate Gold Card' that would permit them to sponsor one or more employees.

Key Takeaways:

• The $100,000 fee for H-1B visas could be made each year for six years, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an Oval Office ceremony unveiling the actions.
• Roughly half a million people in the U.S. work through H-1B visas, and most renew their status every three years.
• A significant number apply for green cards through their employer to receive legal permanent residency but confront significant delays due to backlogs in processing.
• The $1 million fee for a 'Gold Card' for U.S. residency would require applicants to undergo Department of Homeland Security vetting and make a gift of $1 million.
• The 'Corporate Gold Card' would permit companies to sponsor one or more employees and cost $2 million.
• Analysts have said such fees are dubious and could lead to national security concerns due to the potential for wealthy individuals from countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia to invest in the program.
• The restrictions on H-1B visas could upend the way Silicon Valley has operated since its founding and may lead to companies offshoring jobs.
• The new fees would likely face rapid legal challenges from companies and workers, and some analysts argue that it could effectively undercut the value of hiring foreign workers.
• The president's coalition is divided over H-1B visas, with some members, including Elon Musk, aggressively defending the program, while others, such as Stephen K. Bannon, advocate eliminating it entirely.

Statistics:

• 425,000 H-1B visa petitions were received last year, with 85,000 new visas available each year.
• About 70 percent of H-1B visa holders in the 2024 fiscal year were born in India.
• $1 trillion in revenue is expected from the platinum card program, which would allow individual applicants to reside in the United States for up to 270 days per year without being taxed on non-U.S. income.
• 3,871 new H-1B employees were added by Amazon in fiscal year 2024, making it the largest beneficiary of the program.

Sources:

• "Trump announces $100,000 fee for high-skilled worker visas, 'Gold Card' for rich foreigners" by Cat Zakrzewski, Lauren Kaori Gurley, and David Nakamura, The Washington Post, September 2025
• "The Trump administration's plan to impose a $100,000 fee on high-skilled worker visas" by David Bier, Cato Institute, September 2025