Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who worked on H-1B policy for several decades, has praised US President Donald Trump over his new USD 100,000 fee hike rule as a ‘great solution’.
“I’ve worked on H1-B politics for 30 years. Trump’s $100k per year tax is a great solution. It will mean H1-B is used just for very high value jobs, which will mean no lottery needed, and more certainty for those jobs,” Hastings wrote on X.
The White House on Saturday issued a major clarification that the newly announced USD 100,000 H-1B visa fee will be a ‘one-time’ payment that will be imposed on new applicants only.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued the clarification and wrote on X: “This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.”
She further said: “Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter.”
In her clarification, she further said: “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.”
She said the rule will only apply to new applicants and not in the case of renewals or current visa holders.
“It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle,” she said.
US President Donald Trump has signed a petition that will impose a USD 100,000 application fee for H-1B visas.
The announcement sparked a strong reaction from the tech world, with a large number of Indian professionals applying for it every year.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) further clarified that the new rule will not apply to petitions filed before 21 September.
