#h-1b-visas

#h-1b-visas

Two US senators have questions for Big Tech and other top companies over their use of H-1B visas amid the Trump administration's push to slow down foreign worker hiring practices. In letters sent to 10 companies on Wednesday, including Amazon, Apple, Deloitte, and JPMorgan Chase, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin said they were concerned about the use of H-1B visa workers while the tech sector experiences a "high unemployment rate."

President Donald Trump's new H-1B visa policy may hit Big Tech the hardest, but Wall Street is well within the blast zone. Big banks like JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Citi have long used these work visas to hire a range of highly skilled overseas workers, from junior bankers to technologists and even risk managers and traders. Trump's late Friday executive order, which raised the application fee to $100,000 each, is expected to upend this hiring process in a way that could

Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that would impose an annual $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, dealing a potentially major blow to the US tech industry, which relies more than any other sector of the US economy on immigrants who hold these visas. Trump's threat to crack down on H-1B visas has become a major flashpoint with the tech industry.

Analysts said the impact should be moderate, given that the fees apply only to new applications, but warned that a constrained supply of skilled workers in the U.S. may push wages higher and squeeze margins. Companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Goldman Sachs were among those that sent urgent emails to their employees with travel advisories.

Business Insider published the memos from Amazon and Microsoft, while Sources published a similar memo from Google. TechCrunch has reached out to Amazon, Microsoft, and Google for comment. According to government data, Amazon employees have received the most H-1B visas so far this fiscal year, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, then Microsoft, Meta, and Apple, with Google ranked sixth. Meanwhile, a White House official told Axios that the fee will only apply to new applicants, not existing H-1B holders or renewals.

A White House official told Business Insider on Saturday that the fee will only apply to new applicants, not current lawful H-1B visa holders. "This is a one-time fee that applies only to the petition," a White House official told Business Insider. "It ONLY applies to new visas, not renewals or current visa holders. It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle."

Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that would impose an annual $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, dealing a potentially major blow to the US tech industry, which relies heavily on workers from India and China. The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said at a Friday press briefing that all the big companies had been briefed on the new fee. A hundred-thousand dollars a year for H-1B visas, and all of the big companies are on board.

Lyft became one of the biggest ride-hailing apps in the US over the last 13 years. Now, it's set up for its next stage of growth. The service, which relies on about 1 million gig-worker drivers, is breaking into new areas, including launching this year a service for older riders called Lyft Silver. Like rival Uber, Lyft is also experimenting with self-driving cars, a development that CEO David Risher said could be "transformational."

For a business that sells a lot of lumber, paint, and other building supplies, Home Depot is increasingly focused on tech. In addition to being the largest home improvement chain in the world, the orange-aproned retailer relies on a large and growing tech workforce to power its effort to put more digital tools in the hands of employees and its DIY and pro customers.