Discussion about the future of the H-1B visa He returned to settle in Washington after an influential period Think Tank Governor and ally of the president Donald Trump Request before Congress and the White House A Deep reform of the program that allows the employment of highly qualified foreign workers.
the Heritage Foundationcompatible with the political project known as Project 2025presented a package of amendments that propose a comprehensive redesign of the permit.
the plan Eliminates historical exemptions for research organizations and nonprofit entitiesIt proposes replacing the traditional lottery system with a salary-based system that seeks to prevent spouses on H-4 visas from working in the United States.
The organization also requires strict limits on the number of applications each company can submit and Permanent penalties against any company or individual who violates US immigration laws
Moreover, highlighted Newsweekasked the US Department of Labor (DOL) Published monthly Statistics on petitions, dismissals, complaints, and investigations associated with the program.
The potential impact of these measures is amplified by the implementation already underway Project firewallan outline of federal controls for the Department of Labor in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other agencies, with the goal of Ensure that employers look at “qualified Americans” first.
Simon Hankinson, senior researcher at the aforementioned institution, said: “It is time for Congress to end not just the many types of H-1B violations“But also for the innovations of an administrative apparatus that has advanced students’ path to H-1B and green cards, to the detriment of American students and employees.” Daily Caller.
While these recommendations are being circulated in Washington, the Trump administration has moved forward with their implementation One of the most controversial fees in the recent immigration system: a fee of US$100,000 each New H-1B petition Filed as of September 21, 2025.
This measure replaces The previous range is approximately $2,000 to $5,000 It reaches applicants outside of North America, with limited exceptions due to national interest.
Experts from Council on Foreign Relations They warned that this new cost could limit access for highly qualified immigrants Harm above all else Start-ups And small companies That rely on specialized profiles to compete.
Donald Trump defended the need for skilled workers in strategic sectors: “For example, if you’re going to make potato chips, we don’t make a lot of chips here anymore, but Within a year we will have a large part of the market, and we will have to train our employees to manufacture chips“.
Reinforcing this position, Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt noted that “President Trump does not support replacing American workers. He is taking a careful and logical approach: Once these factories are up and running and the workers are trained, these companies must hire Americans“.
For her part, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said: “Big technology, artificial intelligence giants, hospitals and industries from all sectors.” They have abused the H-1B system to ignore our people“.