President Donald Trump has signed an executive proclamation imposing a one-hundred-thousand-dollar application fee on H-1B visas, marking one of the most significant changes to the program in its three-decade history.

The measure, which applies to both new applications and renewals, is intended to encourage companies to prioritise American workers while still allowing access to highly skilled foreign talent in specialised fields.

Administration officials said the fee, which may be structured as either an upfront three-year payment or annual instalments, reflects consultations with industry and is designed to reduce overuse of the program.

At the same time, Trump introduced two new investor-based residency pathways.

The so-called “Gold Card” will grant expedited visas for foreigners who contribute one million dollars individually or two million dollars via corporate sponsorship.

A higher-tier “Platinum Card” option, expected to cost up to five million dollars, would provide expanded benefits, including favourable tax treatment for qualifying applicants.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick described the programs as a pivot toward attracting only “extraordinary people at the very top,” replacing what he called an outdated green-card system.

The changes come as the United States grants sixty-five thousand H-1B visas annually, plus twenty thousand for advanced degree holders from U.S. universities, a quota consistently oversubscribed.

Technology, biotechnology, and other specialised sectors that rely heavily on the program now face sharply higher costs.

While supporters argue the move will increase wages for domestic workers and generate substantial federal revenue, opponents warn it could slow innovation, deter skilled immigration, and prompt legal challenges over whether such sweeping changes can be made by executive action alone.

Unions and economic nationalists within Trump’s base welcomed the announcement as a long-awaited correction to decades of corporate reliance on lower-cost foreign labour.

But industry leaders cautioned that abrupt cost increases could harm competitiveness and force some companies to relocate operations abroad.

With the new rules set to take effect on September 21, questions remain over how the payment structure will be enforced, how renewals will be handled, and whether courts will uphold the legality of the executive order.

For now, the move signals a decisive reorientation of U.S. immigration policy toward wealth- and investment-based access, aligning with Trump’s broader “Hire American” agenda.