Overview

• The charge took effect on Sunday and applies only to initial H‑1B petitions, not to existing visa holders reentering the United States.
• Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the cost is a single payment per petition, correcting earlier comments by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that suggested an annual fee.
• Microsoft, Amazon and JPMorgan urged employees on H‑1B visas to remain in the country, and a Goldman Sachs memo advised caution on international travel, according to documents reported by Reuters.
• Technology leaders and investors criticized the policy as costly and harmful to startups and U.S. talent attraction, while some executives, including Gary Cohn and Reed Hastings, backed higher pricing to reserve visas for top roles.
• The Indian IT industry group Nasscom warned the change could disrupt firms that deploy skilled workers to the U.S., following late‑night announcements that also triggered immediate travel uncertainty.