With the new $100,000 fee for H1B Visa applications announced by the Trump administration, do you think this will discourage smaller companies from hiring foreign talent and make the visa program accessible only to tech giants?

I want to take a slightly different perspective. While the $100,000 fee sounds outrageous, it might reduce the misuse of H1B Visas by small “body-shopping” firms that mass-apply for visas and then subcontract workers. Those firms often don’t pay workers fairly or abuse loopholes. By raising the cost, the government might be filtering out players who misuse the system. Still, the problem is balance. Genuine startups that need one or two highly skilled employees are lumped into the same category as shady staffing firms. A better approach would have been to target the exploitative firms with stricter regulations, not punish every small business. In short: while the intention might be good, the execution is flawed, and the outcome is that only the big tech companies will truly benefit.

As someone who works in a startup environment, I can confidently say this new policy is devastating for small businesses. Startups thrive on talent. Sometimes that talent comes from across the globe, because skills in areas like AI, data science, or blockchain aren’t always available locally. By imposing a $100,000 fee, the U.S. is essentially blocking startups from accessing global talent, leaving them to struggle against giants who can easily pay the fee. This will create an even greater monopoly for tech giants. Another side effect: many small companies may choose to set up offices abroad instead of in the U.S. Why not open a branch in Toronto, London, or Bangalore, where immigration policies are friendlier and costs are lower? Over time, this could lead to innovation hubs shifting away from Silicon Valley. So yes, this fee strongly tilts the program in favor of big corporations, and in the long run, it may even hurt the U.S. tech ecosystem itself.

I think the new $100,000 fee will absolutely discourage small and mid-sized companies. For giants like Google, Amazon, or Microsoft, this fee is just a minor expense compared to their budgets. But for startups or smaller consulting firms, it’s a game-changer. Imagine a company trying to hire one or two skilled developers from abroad. Paying $100,000 upfront, just for a chance to bring in a worker, is practically impossible for them. What this will likely do is consolidate the H1B Visa program in favor of large corporations, creating more imbalance. Smaller businesses that often bring innovation into the ecosystem won’t have the ability to compete. Ironically, the H1B system was originally designed to fill gaps in specialized roles, not to become a privilege reserved for companies with billions in the bank. From a broader perspective, this could also harm the U.S. economy. Skilled professionals may simply choose to go to Canada, Germany, or Australia, where immigration pathways are more affordable and predictable. So, while the intent might be to “protect” U.S. jobs, in reality, it could make the U.S. less competitive globally.

From my point of view, the fee hike is a strategic political move rather than an economic one. The Trump administration wants to show American workers that they are protecting local jobs. By making the H1B Visa cost prohibitive, they ensure fewer applications from smaller firms that might otherwise outsource talent from countries like India. But here’s the catch: large corporations won’t stop hiring foreign workers. They have the money, and they depend on global talent for innovation. Smaller companies, however, are the ones who bring diversity of opportunity into the H1B system. If they’re pushed out, the visa becomes less about “filling gaps” and more about keeping big tech’s global dominance intact. Personally, I believe this creates a two-tier system — one for the elite companies that can afford it, and one that excludes everyone else. It’s not healthy for competition, nor for innovation in the U.S.