Trump tax on H1-B visa

US President Donald Trump confirms that he has a disruptive mind as he cares only about himself and what he feels is right. He did this on September 22, when he dropped a bombshell that stumped the tech world. Trump announced his proposal to hike fees for skilled-worker visas which could rise to an astronomical $100,000 or fifty times the current cost. It was less a policy announcement than a declaration of hostility toward the very pool of talent that has kept America’s innovation engine running. The White House had to issue a hurried clarification that the hike would be a one-time levy on new applicants, but the damage was done. Silicon Valley was rattled, overseas recruits scrambled, and immigration attorneys rushed to contain the chaos. The message rang loud and clear-foreign talent is no longer welcome unless it can pay an extortionate ransom. This is not immigration reform but Trump’s misplaced logic dressed up as nationalism. Even in the past, the H-1B program has always carried controversy. Critics claim it suppresses domestic wages; advocates argue it fills essential gaps that U.S. education simply cannot meet. Both views carry weight, but one fact overshadows the rest is that- America depends on this program. Among all nationalities, Indians alone account for nearly 70 percent of H-1B holders, powering not just the tech giants but also the fragile ecosystem of housing, airlines, universities, and small-town economies that thrive around their labor and remittances. To slap an outrageous fee on their mobility is to weaken America’s own economic backbone. Trump’s proposal also reveals his dangerous blind spot. He assumes that despite the hike, students will simply keep coming no matter the cost. That is not going to happen rather, other countries- Canada, Australia, Germany- are actively courting skilled workers with streamlined visas and welcoming policies. At a time when America should be competing for brains, Trump’s harebrained policy is driving away the brains it needs, with punitive surprise taxes. The global race for talent does not wait for Washington’s political theatrics. The impact will not be evenly felt since, big tech may weather the storm, but start-ups and university research labs cannot. They will be priced out, stifling the very spaces where innovation is born. Graduate programs reliant on international teaching assistants will see enrollment plummet, hurting scholarship and instruction alike. Hospitals already staggering under physician shortages rely on foreign-trained doctors to staff critical care units. Undercutting that supply is not just reckless- it is a direct assault on public health. Immigration policy does need reform, rather stronger wage protections, investment in domestic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM) education, and better alignment of visas with industry needs attention. By turning the H-1B program into a cash grab is nothing more than political grandstanding at the expense of the future of the USA. A great nation is expected to be led by fairness and strategic foresight to guide its policy, not a reckless attempt to weaponize visas as revenue tools. For generations, America’s strength has been its openness to global talent. Trump’s plan to Make America Great Again is only going to slam that door shut, crippling industries, undermining universities, and gutting hospitals. Trump’s policy has never been reform but sabotage. Industry leaders, universities, hospitals, and immigrant communities have to fight back-through the courts, through Congress, and through public mobilization. The stakes are clear- either America remains open and competitive, or it allows short-sighted demagoguery to dismantle its future.