Big American firms including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and JPMorgan, may be coughing out millions of dollars to bring over global talents to drive their operations following significant increase in the professional visa fees introduced by the Trump administration of the United States.

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation raising the H-1B visa fee to $100,000, some 100 times the current $1,000. The new fee regulation took effect from Sunday, September 21 and will apply only to new visa applicants.

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Consequently, fees for H-1B visa fee, known as the professional visa, has now risen from the existing $1,000 (approximately N153,000) to $100,000 or N153 million.

White House spokesperson, Caroline Levit, explained: “This is not an annual fee. It is a one-time fee applicable only to new visa applicants,” adding, “It does not apply to existing visa holders or renewal applicants.”

Levit further stated, “H-1B visa holders currently abroad will not be charged $100,000 upon re-entering the U.S.,” adding, “H-1B visa holders can continue to travel in and out of the country as usual.”

The H-1B visa targets foreign professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, with only 85,000 applications accepted annually through a lottery. It allows for an initial stay of three years, with possibilities for extension and applying for permanent residency.

However, the MAGA faction, a strong base of Trump supporters, has long argued that U.S. companies use the H-1B visa to bring in foreign workers at lower costs, thereby taking jobs away from Americans.

The White House explained, “The H-1B program discourages future American workers from pursuing STEM careers, threatening our national security,” adding, “President Trump aims to address the program’s misuse, prevent wage decline, and protect national security by imposing higher costs on companies seeking to use the H-1B program.” It further cited statistics showing that the proportion of H-1B workers in the U.S. IT sector has risen from 32% in 2003 to over 65% recently.

The White House noted, however, that “the proclamation instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to restrict visa approvals for foreigners currently outside the U.S. if the fee is not accompanied during their visa application, while allowing exceptions on a case-by-case basis when it aligns with national interests.”

Following the U.S. government’s announcement of a 100-fold increase in H-1B fees, global companies that employ large numbers of foreign experts issued emergency notices urging employees on overseas business trips to return to the U.S. immediately and refrain from international travel for the time being.