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By Jesus Mesa and Jason Lemon
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Walmart has paused offering jobs to individuals who need H-1B visas after the administration of President Donald Trump announced a new $100,000 fee.
As the largest private employer in the United States, Walmart is additionally the largest user of H-1B visas among major retail chains, according to government data.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump announced the new H-1B visa fee on September 19, but his promises of certain exemptions remained unclear. Immigration attorneys have also expressed frustration, saying there was no clear process for paying the government when submitting applications.
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H-1B visas are designed for high-skilled positions that companies struggle to fill. Major tech firms are the largest users of the program, and nearly three-quarters of approved applicants come from India. However, there are also essential workers—such as teachers and doctors—who fall outside that category.
What To Know
First reported by Bloomberg, the move affects mostly corporate roles and comes as businesses across the country reassess their hiring plans in response to the policy. Walmart currently employs about 2,390 H-1B visa holders, making it the largest user among U.S. retailers, though far behind tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, each of which employ several thousand.
The company confirmed its decision in a statement to Newsweek, saying it is “committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach”.
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As part of ongoing efforts by the White House to reform the immigration system and prioritize American workers, Trump announced the new H-1B fee as a way to attract the best and brightest still, while also making sure the system was not being abused to bring in cheap labor.
The U.S. government issues about 65,000 H-1B visas annually, plus 20,000 more for applicants with advanced degrees. Tech companies are expected to feel the greatest impact from the new fee, as many rely heavily on skilled foreign workers.
Historically, H-1B visas have been doled out through lottery. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient of H-1B visas with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Geographically, California has the highest number of H-1B workers.
The policy’s rollout has also sparked backlash from the business community. The Chamber of Commerce has sued the administration, arguing that the steep new fees would “inflict significant harm on American businesses.” Even some of Donald Trump’s allies, including former GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have defended the H-1B program as a vital source of talent and criticized the measure.
H-1B Guidance: How to Pay New Fees, Who is Exempt
USCIS updated its website on October 21 to lay out who must pay the new H-1B fee and where they should pay it, while also listing a set of exemptions to the new rule.
The new fee applies to the majority of H-1B applications filed from outside the U.S. after 12:01 a.m. ET September 21. H-1B holders already in the U.S. applying for renewals or extensions do not have to pay the new fee, and neither do those who had filed new applications before September 21.
There are some exemptions to the fee, namely those who apply for an H-1B from an existing visa. For example, an F-1 student visa holder who seeks to switch to an H-1B after their studies are completed would be exempt from paying $100,000.
USCIS said that even if those applicants who leave the U.S. and then re-enter would still not need to pay the fee. This had been an area of confusion following the president's Oval Office announcement.
Other exemptions will be granted by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in "extraordinarily rare circumstances," USCIS said, including if no American worker is able to fill the role, or the immigrant's employment is in the national interest.
As for payment, USCIS said applicants should submit the fee through pay.gov, providing clarity for petitioners, as fees are often collected via the USCIS website.
The agency said payment must be made before filing an H-1B petition to USCIS, and that any paperwork filed without clear evidence for exemption would be denied.
What People Are Saying
Taylor Rogers, White House spokesperson, told Newsweek on October 16: “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and his commonsense action on H1-B visas does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down American wages, while providing certainty to employers who need to bring the best talent from overseas.”
Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber, said in a statement: “The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for U.S. employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utilize the H-1B program, which was created by Congress expressly to ensure that American businesses of all sizes can access the global talent they need to grow their operations here in the U.S.”
What’s Next
The $100,000 fee, while announced by the president, has not appeared to be in full effect just yet, with many attorneys reporting that they have not been able to pay it when submitting new applications.
Update 10/20/25, 5:00 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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