WASHINGTON: Large US companies are urgently advising foreign employees to remain in the United States (US) after President Donald Trump imposed a hefty new fee on visas for qualified foreign workers, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing media reports.
Employees with H1B visas who are currently abroad should return to the US within 24 hours, Business Insider reported, citing employees and internal communications at tech companies Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, as well as at JPMorgan bank.
An Amazon internal memo said staff unable to return in time should stay put until further notice, Business Insider said.
The companies fear that hiring foreign employees could become much more expensive or even impossible in the future if they want to re-enter the US after a stay abroad, according to the report.
On Friday, Trump unexpectedly imposed a US$100,000 annual fee on H1B visas, which previously only cost a processing fee of a few thousand US dollars.
The New York Times cited government data showing that, in June, more than 10,000 people were working in the US on H1B visas at Amazon, while Microsoft and Meta had around half that number.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick said the announced change will mean it is no longer worthwhile for US companies to bring inexperienced employees into the country to train. Companies would have to weigh whether a job candidate is valuable enough to pay an additional US$100,000 to the government, he said, meaning more firms would hire US workers Trump’s $100K H1B visa fee sparks urgency as Amazon, Meta, and others warn foreign staff to stay in or return to US.- BERNAMA-dpa