America has once again become the stage for a fierce immigration battle. On September 19, Donald Trump signed a proclamation that shook the headlines: employers who want to bring foreign specialists to the U.S. under the H-1B program must now pay an annual fee of $100,000. The decision immediately sparked controversy because it is not just a technical adjustment, but a radical change to the rules of the high-skilled labor market.
Starting September 21, the entry ban for H-1B visa holders will apply to those outside the United States unless the new massive fee is paid. The proclamation is set for a minimum of 12 months, though the administration reserved the right to extend it. Exceptions exist — but only for those deemed vital to national interests. Beyond the fee, the government is tightening wage requirements: employers will need to pay foreign specialists more to prove they are not using the program as a source of cheap labor. In theory, this is supposed to push companies to raise salaries for Americans and stop “replacing” them with foreigners.
The White House presents the initiative as job protection. In Trump’s rhetoric, it sounds straightforward: “stop bringing people here to take our jobs.” But for businesses, the picture is far less clear. Large corporations with billion-dollar budgets may be able to absorb the cost — and even use it as a weapon to push out smaller competitors. But startups and mid-sized companies are in the danger zone. For them, $100,000 is not just a fee, it is a barrier that could derail plans to hire talent from abroad. The impact will be felt especially in technology, biotech, and research — industries where the H-1B has long been a vital pipeline for top specialists.
Lawyers are already preparing lawsuits. Critics argue that the executive branch does not have the authority to impose such fees without Congress. Court battles could temporarily halt or weaken the proclamation. Yet even if the judiciary steps in, the very fact that the administration has moved forward changes the atmosphere: companies are already factoring “uncertainty” into their planning and reconsidering hiring strategies. Politically, the move plays directly to Trump’s base. It frames itself as a blow against globalization and “corporations that forgot about their fellow citizens.” At the same time, it deepens the fault line in society: between those who see immigration as a threat and those who see it as a source of strength and innovation.
If the order stands, the flow of talent into the U.S. will inevitably shrink. People who once dreamed of Silicon Valley may instead set their sights on Toronto, London, or Berlin. America’s competitors are already smiling: the harder the rules in the U.S., the easier it becomes for them to lure engineers, IT professionals, and researchers. For the domestic market, this could mean talent shortages, rising costs, and slowed innovation. The pain will be sharpest in areas like artificial intelligence and biotechnology — exactly where the U.S. is fighting to maintain global leadership.
The new proclamation looks like a symbolic wall: invisible, but no less imposing than concrete. Trump sells it as job protection, but in practice it could become a golden ticket affordable only to giants. Small businesses risk being left behind, while talented programmers and scientists will seek new harbors for their ideas. Today, America seems to be telling the world: “If you want to come here — pay the price of a suburban house.” The only question is whether the world is ready to pay, or whether it will choose other doors that swing open wider, without the golden key.
