The White House has provided reasons for increasing the H-1B visa fees, following the announcement by Donald Trump. The core concern revolves around the displacement of American tech workers by foreign employees, according to the White House. Trump’s stance consistently prioritizes American citizens for jobs and resources within the United States.
The White House cited specific instances of companies that received significant H-1B approvals while simultaneously cutting jobs in America. One company, with 5,189 H-1B approvals, laid off 16,000 American employees. Another company with 1,698 approvals cut 2,400 jobs in Oregon. A third company that received 25,075 H-1B visa permissions also cut its American workforce by 27,000 since 2022.
Further investigation revealed that a company, despite securing 1,137 H-1B visa permissions for fiscal year 2025, reduced its American workforce by 1,000 in February. The alleged practice of forcing American IT employees to train foreign workers without proper authorization was also scrutinized. The increase in H-1B fees aims to encourage companies to hire American workers rather than outsourcing labor, thereby supporting the ‘America First’ policy promoted by Trump.