"The 31-year-old South Bay software engineer was driving home from the office a couple of weeks ago, when a friend called him with the news. President Donald Trump had suddenly announced his administration would be slapping a $100,000 fee on companies petitioning for H-1B visas, effective within a few days. "You cannot buy a house. You cannot raise a family if there is an uncertainty," said the software engineer, who requested anonymity because of fears his immigration status could be jeopardized."
"He has been thinking a lot about risk and how it affects his life plan ever since he arrived in San Jose five and a half years ago on an H-1B visa sponsored by his employer. "Like they say, if you want to become an actor, move to L.A. So if you want to be a great software engineer, probably S.F. and the Valley is where you should be. And yeah, here I am, exploring it.""
A sudden presidential announcement proposed a $100,000 fee on companies petitioning for H-1B visas to take effect within days. Thousands of Bay Area foreign tech professionals face immediate uncertainty over housing, family planning, and long-term career stability. Many arrived on employer-sponsored H-1B visas and rely on sponsorship to remain and advance careers in Silicon Valley. The H-1B program, created by the Immigration Act of 1990, has been the primary pathway for U.S. tech employers to hire foreign talent. Major Bay Area firms are heavy H-1B users, and at last fiscal year's petition rate of about 7,660, the proposed fee would total roughly $766 million.
Read at Kqed
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