On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would impose a fee exceeding $103,000 on H-1B visas, while news emerged that the State Department intends to cancel the visas of as many as 200,000 asylum seekers — what The Associated Press called the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history. More than a year into President Donald Trump's second term, the administration is stripping legal immigrants of status to reach its deportation targets, creating legal obstacles for both new arrivals and those already living in the country.
H-1B visas are heavily used by Big Tech, with Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft ranking as the three largest employers of H-1B workers. A federal judge blocked Trump's earlier effort to increase the cost of these high-skilled employment visas in June, though not before more than 70 employers paid the $100,000 charge. The administration is now setting the fee at $103,265. DHS has suggested the Optional Practical Training program — which allows international students to work in their field of study for 12 months, with extensions up to 24 months for some STEM students — may soon carry a $100,000 fee as well. The State Department will rescind up to 200,000 business and travel visas that were issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who requested asylum after entering the U.S. The previous $100,000 fee worsened labor shortages at rural hospitals nationwide and Alaska public schools, both of which have increasingly relied on high-skilled immigrant workers following local population declines.
Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us — an immigration reform organization founded by Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives in 2013 — said "this is clearly unlawful" and is designed to eliminate the OPT and H-1B programs, which will lead to companies being started and hiring happening elsewhere. The administration frames the visa revocations as closing a loophole where people enter on nonimmigrant visas for work or pleasure but then file for asylum to remain permanently. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department is working with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who claimed to be short-term visitors but then applied for asylum to stay in the country. Schulte characterized the changes as part of an all-of-government effort to dismantle the humanitarian immigration system, noting that "every single other pathway is harder, outlawed, eliminated, more bureaucratic, more difficult across the board."
The people who applied for asylum after arriving on nonimmigrant visas didn't violate any laws. A person must be physically present on U.S. soil to request asylum — there's no mechanism to apply from outside the country. Trump has closed most other routes for humanitarian migration, implementing an effective asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border. Refugee admissions have fallen to historic lows, with the administration now prioritizing the resettlement of white South Africans while denying nearly everyone else. Beyond having ICE arrest, detain, and deport immigrants, the administration is pressuring noncitizens to leave voluntarily, in some instances imposing civil fines and threatening to seize their assets. In his second term, Trump has demonstrated that the only immigrants he wants are those who look a certain way — or who can afford to pay a small fortune for the right to work in America. The shift isn't confined to tech giants; it threatens businesses and social services nationwide, particularly in communities already struggling to attract qualified workers. Organizations that depend on international talent will need to weigh whether the economic model still functions when entry costs rival annual salaries, while policymakers face questions about whether enforcement priorities align with workforce realities.