Trump signs proclamation raising H-1B fee to $100,000 and unveils $1 million 'gold card' visa

President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation dramatically expanding the price tag on U.S. work visas for highly skilled foreign workers, raising the annual fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 and launching a $1 million “gold card” visa with a path to citizenship for wealthy individuals. The actions, announced without Congress action, are expected to face near-certain legal challenges and broad criticism that they sidestep the legislative process.

Under the plan, the H-1B filing fee would jump from about $215 to $100,000, and investor visa charges would rise from roughly $10,000 to $20,000 a year. The administration said the new options would replace current employment-based visas that offer paths to citizenship for professors, scientists, artists and athletes, arguing the changes would prioritize domestic training and high-skill labor. The proclamation also introduces a $1 million “gold card” visa after vetting, with a $2 million price tag for companies seeking to sponsor an employee. A separate option, the so-called “Trump Platinum Card,” would be available for $5 million and would allow a foreign national to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being taxed on non-U.S. income. Critics say the moves would effectively price skilled labor out of reach for many firms while creating a tiered system that privileges the already wealthy.

Lutnick stressed that the new tools could be introduced by the President and insisted that the changes would ultimately support American workers. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said “all big companies” are on board, and he framed the policy as a correction to the prior system. “If you’re going to train people, you’re going to train Americans,” Lutnick said on a conference call with reporters. He argued that for truly specialized engineers, firms could afford the higher fees because the talent involved would justify the investment, asserting that the H-1B program would shrink to only the most economically justifiable cases.

Despite Lutnick’s assurances, the news drew immediate questions about legal viability and practical impact. Several large technology companies did not respond to requests for comment on Friday, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, while Microsoft declined to comment. Critics and labor advocates maintained that the changes would undermine American workers and inflate costs for employers trying to fill specialized roles that are difficult to recruit domestically. U.S. Tech Workers, an advocacy group, called the plan “the next best thing” to abolishing the visas altogether, while Doug Rand, a former senior official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Biden administration, described the proposed fee increase as “ludicrously lawless.”

Lutnick noted that while the H-1B fees and the gold card could be introduced by the president, the platinum card would require congressional approval. The plan would replace some employment-based visa tracks that currently award a path to citizenship for professionals, scientists, artists and athletes, according to official briefings.

Historically, H-1B visas have been allocated through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was the top recipient of H-1B visas with more than 10,000 awards, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the highest number of H-1B workers by state, a reflection of the concentration of technology employers in the region. Critics say many H-1B positions go to entry-level assignments, with firms sometimes classifying jobs at lower skill levels to reduce costs, and a number of outsourcing arrangements have drawn scrutiny for firming up labor supply overseas.

The broader debate over H-1B visas has long centered on whether the program displaces domestic workers or simply fills gaps in specialized skill areas that are in short supply. Critics have long argued that outsourcing and misclassification can depress wages or reduce opportunities for American applicants, while supporters say the program helps U.S. firms remain competitive in high-tech fields. In 2024, authorities reported a drop in lottery bids for the visas, which officials attributed to actions aimed at curbing gaming of the system by submitting multiple applications. USCIS also announced new limits intended to curb fraud, including a rule that each applicant could enter the lottery only once, regardless of how many job offers they held.

First Lady Melania Trump was noted in historical briefings as having held an H-1B work visa in 1996 to work as a model, underscoring how the program has intersected with high-profile careers for decades. The new proclamation arrives amid ongoing political debates about immigration policy, wages, and the proper balance between protecting U.S. workers and maintaining access to global talent for industries that rely on highly skilled foreign workers.

Lawmakers and policy experts warned that the changes, if enacted into law or sustained by court decisions, could face constitutional and administrative challenges. They noted that the platinum card’s rider—while touted as a pathway to citizenship—would require legislative action to implement in full, and that jurists could question the scope of executive authority to restructure visa categories on such a scale without formal congressional approval. Supporters argue that the measures are intended to ensure wages and job opportunities for American workers, while critics say they risk stifling innovation and reducing the diversity of talent that has helped drive the United States’ technology sector.

As the legal process unfolds, the White House indicated it would defend the proposals as necessary recalibrations of the immigration system in a rapidly evolving labor market. Opponents say the steps amount to political theater that could undermine foreign investment and the competitiveness of U.S. firms, even as the administration argues that higher standards and selective pathways will preserve favorable employment outcomes for Americans. The coming weeks are expected to bring litigation, congressional inquiries, and continuing public debate over whether such sweeping visa changes belong in a president’s proclamation rather than in formal legislation.