Researchers warn that adding a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applicants could compromise national security, harm the U.S. tech sector, and discourage skilled workers from working for American companies. According to the Guardian, Amazon had more than 10,000 H-1B visas approved in the first half of 2025 alone, while Microsoft and Meta each had more than 5,000 approved over that same period. India has been the biggest benefactor of H-1B visas in recent years, accounting for more than 70% of approvals in 2024. According to data published by the Cato Institute in 2023, nearly 70% of workers on H-1B visas that were hired in 2021 had advanced degrees, while 90% of those jobs were in STEM fields. In 2020, Trump's Department of Labor attempted to raise the mandatory minimum wage for H-1B workers as well, before the requirement was similarly blocked by a California district court judge.