Nigerians affected as Trump raises H-1B visa application fee to $100,000
By Jeffrey Agbo
US President Donald Trump has approved a proclamation introducing an annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications.
The H-1B visa, a non-immigrant category, permits US employers to hire foreign talent in specialized sectors such as technology, engineering, and medicine.
Currently, employers spend about $1,500 in administrative fees to process H-1B applications, with the visas valid for three to six years.
The steep increase is anticipated to hit Nigerian professionals hard, especially doctors who frequently depend on the programme to secure work opportunities in the United States.
Howard Lutnick, US commerce secretary, explained during a Friday briefing that “all the big companies” had been notified of the development.
“A hundred-thousand dollars a year for H-1B visas, and all of the big companies are on board. We’ve spoken to them,” Lutnick stated at an Oval Office event alongside Trump.
He added: “If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs.”
The H-1B programme has long been a source of contention between Trump and Silicon Valley, despite the tech sector contributing millions to his campaign.
Government data shows that nearly two-thirds of H-1B positions are in computing fields, though the visa is also widely used to hire healthcare workers, engineers, and educators.
Major corporations have relied heavily on the programme: Amazon secured over 10,000 H-1B visas in the first half of 2025, while Microsoft and Meta each obtained more than 5,000 approvals.
Each year, the programme allows for 65,000 visas, plus an extra 20,000 for individuals with advanced degrees.
Critics say the system undermines wages and disadvantages American workers, while backers—including Tesla CEO Elon Musk—argue it fills essential skills gaps and strengthens US competitiveness.
At present, applicants enter through a lottery system and pay additional charges, with most costs covered by employers.
This fee hike is the latest in a series of immigration restrictions under Trump. Last month, the US launched a pilot scheme requiring bonds of up to $15,000 for certain tourist and business visas, and in June, a travel ban covering 12 countries was introduced.
