The Trump administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas and introduced a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications [1, 2].
These measures represent a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, targeting both the volume of foreign workers and the specific criteria for legal entry. By increasing the cost of high-skill visas and accelerating revocations, the administration aims to reshape the domestic labor market.
Since President Donald Trump (R-FL) returned to office in 2025, the administration has focused on a wide-scale immigration crackdown [1, 2]. The revocation of more than 175,000 visas [1] targets individuals linked to criminal activity and birth tourism. Additionally, the administration has revoked visas based on certain political remarks [1].
Central to the new strategy is the imposition of a $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visa applications [2, 3]. This specific visa category is typically used by U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. The administration said the fee is intended to limit these visas to top-skill jobs [2].
This policy shift follows a period of increased enforcement. Reports indicate that while some large-scale raids have decreased, harsher rules continue to squeeze immigrants nationwide [4]. The administration continues to prioritize the removal of individuals who do not meet the new, stricter standards for residency and employment.
Government officials have not specified the exact number of H-1B applications expected to be deterred by the new cost. However, the move is designed to prioritize domestic hiring over foreign labor in the tech and engineering sectors [2].
“The Trump administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas.”
The combination of mass visa revocations and a prohibitive fee for high-skill workers signals a move toward a more restrictive, merit-based immigration system. By pricing out mid-level foreign talent, the U.S. government is attempting to force corporations to recruit from the domestic workforce, though this may create talent shortages in specialized industries that rely heavily on the H-1B program.
