Trump’s $100K H-1B visa overhaul could hit tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft hardest

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The Trump administration unveiled a proposal on Wednesday to change how H-1B visas are awarded, a program that has become a cornerstone of the tech industry by allowing U.S. companies to hire highly skilled workers from abroad, including software engineers and data scientists.

Issued by the Department of Homeland Security, H-1B visas are temporary work permits that have become a vital pathway for U.S. tech companies to recruit global talent. 

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An exterior view of Germany's Amazon headquarters in Munich on July 29, 2025. (Matthias Balk/Picture Alliance/Getty Images)

The proposal is designed to nudge employers toward offering higher salaries or reserving H-1B petitions for jobs that require advanced skills. The rule change, formally published in the Federal Register, comes just days after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data from 2024 through mid-2025, Amazon obtained 19,301 H-1B visas, more than any other major tech company. Microsoft secured 9,914 workers through the H-1B program, while Apple brought in 8,075 employees.

Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and HCLTech may be headquartered in India, but each has a substantial U.S. presence that allows them to compete directly for H-1B visas. 

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Cognizant, by contrast, is headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, though it originated as part of an Indian company and continues to maintain deep ties to India’s tech sector. 

Together, these firms illustrate how Indian outsourcing and consulting giants dominate a significant share of H-1B visa approvals alongside major U.S. tech companies. 

Microsoft declined to comment. The rest of the companies listed in the bar chart did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Since June, the top seven recipients of H-1B visas have all been tech companies, with JPMorgan Chase, Walmart, and Deloitte rounding out the top 10.

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U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

The $100,000 fee — a one-time charge applying only to new H-1B petitions — will take effect in the next annual lottery, the system the U.S. government uses to select applications once the annual visa cap is reached. 

The annual cap for H-1B petitions is 85,000, a limit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it reached in July.

Amanda covers the intersection of business and geopolitics for Fox News Digital.