Opinion: The Trump administration's H-1B visa price hike will stifle innovation

"America's innovation economy is the global leader in imagining, designing and deploying the most cutting-edge technologies, whether in artificial intelligence, quantum computing or autonomous vehicles. But the Trump administration's recent alteration to the immigration landscape with a new six-figure fee on foreign workers threatens to reduce innovation breakthroughs and make business more expensive for entrepreneurs and innovators of all sizes in California."

"In September, President Trump signed a proclamation that slapped a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions for workers outside the United States. (This visa had cost a few thousand dollars before this recent change.) The petitions are submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services by research institutions, entrepreneurs and industry employers on behalf of applicants who qualify for consideration given their advanced technical education and ability to help organizations fill critical tech roles."

"But the history of H-1B visas for foreign-based workers and the contributions of immigrant workers in general reveals a stronger domestic economy due to their presence. Immigrants have founded more than half of all billion-dollar startups (aka unicorns), according to the National Foundation for American Policy's 2022 study. The nonpartisan think tank's research also shows immigrants have founded or cofounded nearly two-thirds of the top AI companies in the U.S."

America's innovation economy leads globally in developing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and autonomous vehicles. A presidential proclamation now imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions for workers outside the United States, a sharp increase from prior fees of a few thousand dollars. H-1B petitions are submitted by research institutions, entrepreneurs, and employers to recruit workers with advanced technical education for critical tech roles. Immigrants have founded over half of billion-dollar startups and nearly two-thirds of top U.S. AI firms, and immigrant researchers include recent Nobel laureates, underscoring immigrants’ central role in innovation.

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