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Trump Administration Pushes $100,000 H‑1B Visa Fee · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Trump administration is advancing a dramatic overhaul of the
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  Speaker 1: H one B visa program, proposing a fee of more
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  Speaker 1: than one hundred thousand dollars for employers seeking to hire
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  Speaker 1: skilled foreign workers. The move represents one of the most
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  Speaker 1: sweeping financial barriers ever introduced for employment based immigration, and
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  Speaker 1: has triggered alarm across the technology, healthcare, and research sectors
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  Speaker 1: that rely heavily on global talent. The proposal, outlined by
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  Speaker 1: senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the
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  Speaker 1: Department of Labor, is part of a broader effort to
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: restrict legal immigration and reshape the US labor market. Administration
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  Speaker 1: figures argue that the high fee will deter what they
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  Speaker 1: describe as abuse of the H one B system and
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  Speaker 1: encourage companies to hire American workers instead. They say the
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  Speaker 1: measure is designed to ensure that only employers with serious,
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  Speaker 1: high value needs pursue foreign talent. Industry leaders, however, warned
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  Speaker 1: that the fee would be devastating. Technology firms, universities, and
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  Speaker 1: medical institutions say the cost would make it nearly impossible
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  Speaker 1: to sponsor engineers, researchers, and physicians, especially for startups, mid
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  Speaker 1: sized companies. And public institutions. Some university administrator's estimate that
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  Speaker 1: the fee would exceed their entire annual budget for international hiring.
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  Speaker 1: Immigration attorneys note that the fee would apply per application,
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  Speaker 1: meaning companies hiring multiple workers could face millions of dollars
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  Speaker 1: in costs. They also warned that the measure could push
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  Speaker 1: employers toward outsourcing or relocating operations abroad, undermining US competitiveness
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  Speaker 1: in fields like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. The
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  Speaker 1: proposal follows a series of legal battles over H one
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  Speaker 1: B policy. Earlier this year, a federal court ruled that
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  Speaker 1: the administration had the authority to impose those steep fees
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  Speaker 1: on these applications, prompting officials to move forward with the
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  Speaker 1: new structure. Critics say the administration is using that ruling
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  Speaker 1: as justification for an unprecedented financial barrier that effectively shuts
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  Speaker 1: down the program for all but the wealthiest employers. Worker
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  Speaker 1: advocates are also sounding alarms. They argue that the fee
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  Speaker 1: will not protect American jobs, but instead weaken industries that
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  Speaker 1: depend on specialized skills. Some warn that hospitals in rural
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  Speaker 1: and underserved areas, which rely on foreign doctors, could face
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  Speaker 1: staffing shortages if the fee is implemented. For now, the
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  Speaker 1: administration is preparing the final rule, with official signaling that
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  Speaker 1: the fee could be introduced before the end of the year.
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  Speaker 1: Business groups and universities are preparing legal challenges, saying the
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  Speaker 1: measure violates congressional intent and amounts to a de facto
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  Speaker 1: ban on skilled immigration. As the debate in intensifies, the
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  Speaker 1: future of the H one B program, long a cornerstone
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  Speaker 1: of America's innovation economy, hangs in the balance. The proposed
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  Speaker 1: fee marks a turning point in US immigration policy, one
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  Speaker 1: that could reshape the country's ability to attract global talent
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  Speaker 1: for years to come.