President Donald Trump has sanctioned a significant increase in the cost of a popular visa, a decision that has been met with criticism for its perceived irony.
Under a newly signed executive order, the cost of securing an H-1B visa will rise dramatically from $1,500 to $100,000, marking an increase of over 6,500 percent. The H-1B visa facilitates the employment of skilled foreign workers in the United States, particularly in fields such as science, engineering, and technology. Interestingly, it is also available for certain professions like modeling, a fact well-known to First Lady Melania Trump.
In 1996, Melania, then a 26-year-old model from Slovenia, moved to the U.S. after being recruited by modeling scout and business owner Paolo Zampolli.
Two years later, Zampolli introduced Melania to Donald Trump, leading to a relationship that culminated in marriage. Trump later appointed Zampolli as the US Special Representative for Global Partnerships.
A decade later, Melania obtained U.S. citizenship. However, had the H-1B visa fee been $100,000 at the time, it is unlikely she would have made the journey to the United States.
This situation has sparked conversation on Twitter.
One user noted, “Donald Trump just crushed the American Dream for Indians. H1B visa fees increased to annual charges of $100,000. Current fee: $1000,” highlighting that Indians constitute the majority of H-1B visa recipients.
The user continued, “The irony is, The First Lady Melania Trump, also received an H-1B visa in October 1996 for modelling work. She was a Slovenian national. India, with a whopping 72% of all the H1B visa applicants, tops the list.”
Another user tweeted: “Just noting Melania Trump – then Melania Knauss – came to the U.S. on a H-1B visa in October 1996.”
A third comment questioned, “Didn’t Melania Trump come to America on a H-1B Visa?”
In defense of the decision, Trump cited widespread ‘abuse’ of the visa system.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified that the $100,000 fee for the H-1B visa would be required annually for six years. He stated, “The company needs to decide… is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home, and they should go hire an American.” He added, “All of the big companies are on board.”
The order will take effect from September 21 and will apply solely to new applicants. The government lists Amazon as the largest user of the program, followed by Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google.