The Trump administration is targeting U.S. visa applicants again, involving B1, B2, and H-1B visas.
According to the US Wall Street Journal, on August 24 local time, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that it plans to charge applicants for new H-1B work visas a fee of over $100,000. This fee must be paid before the government makes a decision on the application.
The proposal will be subject to a 30-day public comment period before becoming effective.
According to reports, this fee will apply to most new applicants, not just those from overseas. The move aims to replace a plan proposed by the Trump administration, which stipulated a $100,000 fee for this visa but was later ruled invalid by the courts.
In September last year, Trump signed an executive order to significantly reform the H-1B visa program.
H-1B is a visa designed for highly skilled foreign professionals, and it is also the primary way for foreigners to work in the United States.
Recently, this visa has become a focal point of intense controversy within the American conservative camp. Trump's supporters accuse employers of using this visa to hire foreigners, with pay rates that are lower than what Americans with similar qualifications would expect.
Public information shows that the United States limits the number of new H-1B visas issued each year to 85,000. Hospitals, universities, and other non-profit organizations are exempt from this limit. However, H-1B visas are disproportionately used to hire skilled tech workers from India.
This is not the only restriction that the Trump administration plans to introduce in the area of immigration policy.
According to The Associated Press report from the same day, the Trump administration is preparing to cancel business (B1) and tourist visas (B2) for up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied or are seeking asylum in the United States. This is the latest measure taken by the administration to combat immigration issues.
According to reports, if this measure is implemented, it will be the largest single “visa revocation operation” in American history.
US State Department spokesperson responded that the State Department is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security "to clarify and cancel those non-immigrant visas for foreign nationals who claimed to be short-term visitors but later applied for asylum and permanent residency in the US."
The statement from the US State Department did not specify how many visas will be revoked during this process.
On the morning of the 24th, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Rundall posted a message on social media, stating that the U.S. immigration system has "long been filled with unreasonable asylum applications." The U.S. Department of State previously stated that the Trump administration had revoked more than 175,000 visas for foreign citizens.
