Washington DC: United States President Donald Trump used his Labour Day proclamation to promote a proposed fee on H-1B visa applications, arguing that the measure would encourage domestic companies to prioritise American workers before hiring personnel from abroad.
“To ensure we are hiring and training American workers, we are proposing a new fee on H-1B visa petitions that will encourage companies to invest in qualified Americans before looking overseas for labour,” Trump stated in the Monday proclamation issued in local time.
By including the stance, the presidential address brought the closely scrutinised H-1B framework into a broader message focused on industrial production, commercial tariffs and domestic employment security.
The H-1B programme is frequently used by technology companies and other employers to recruit skilled international specialists, with Indian citizens traditionally making up the largest segment of recipients. As a result, policy changes remain a subject of significant interest in India and among expatriate professionals in the United States.
Clarifying the implementation status, the referenced financial requirement does not constitute a newly enacted tariff introduced on Monday.
The Department of Homeland Security previously advanced a rule proposing a USD 103,265 charge for cap-subject H-1B applications, including those qualifying for advanced-degree exemptions. The amount would be collected upon filing alongside standard immigration costs to support administrative expenses.
Framing the initiative within a wider fiscal agenda favouring local workers, Trump also spoke about shifts in manufacturing.
“After decades of disastrous trade policies that surrendered our industrial strength to foreign nations, companies are now returning home, investing trillions of dollars into the United States economy, and adding over 900,000 American jobs,” Trump stated.
Attributing industrial resilience to protective duties, the administration noted consecutive months of manufacturing growth.
“Our Nation is entering a bold new era of American manufacturing, technological innovation, and economic prosperity — powered by the might of the American worker,” Trump said.
The official text designated September 7 as Labour Day to recognise employee contributions.
This follows a previous attempt by the administration to introduce a USD 100,000 fee for incoming H-1B entrants, which was invalidated by a Massachusetts federal judge in June due to executive overreach. An appeals court subsequently denied a requested stay in July.
Unlike the previous immediate measures, the USD 103,265 adjustment is proceeding through standard federal regulatory channels as a proposal rather than an active charge.
