United States President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order that will make it significantly harder and more expensive for foreign professionals, including Nigerians, to work in America under the H-1B visa scheme.
This new policy as reported by the BBC on Saturday, imposes a $100,000 annual fee on companies sponsoring skilled foreign workers. It takes effect from September 21, 2025, and applies to all new H-1B applications, renewable annually for up to six years, meanwhile, until now, firms paid only about $1,500 in associated fees.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the measure, saying; “Companies need to decide – is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or should they head home and go hire an American? All of the big companies are on board.”
The H-1B programme, capped at 85,000 visas yearly, has long been a lifeline for global tech firms, startups, and professionals seeking international exposure.
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Critics warn that the new cost could cripple competitiveness and lock out thousands of skilled foreigners. Seattle-based immigration attorney Tahmina Watson said:
“This $100,000 as an entry point is going to have a devastating impact. Almost everyone’s going to be priced out. Many small or medium-sized companies simply can’t find qualified Americans to do the job.”
The executive order also introduces a “gold card” fast-track system for wealthy immigrants, requiring payments starting at £1 million, a move that appears to prioritise the rich while squeezing out skilled workers from developing nations.
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What New H-1B Visa Development This Means for Nigerians
Nigerians are among the top African beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme. According to data from the US Department of State, over 12,000 Nigerians have secured H-1B visas in the last decade, mostly in the tech, medical, and engineering fields. Each year, thousands more apply, with hopes of building careers in America’s highly competitive job market.
The new $100,000 annual fee could drastically cut down those opportunities. While multinational companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon may still afford to sponsor foreign workers, smaller firms that often hire Nigerians are unlikely to absorb such costs.
This could force many highly skilled Nigerians to either look to Canada, the UK, and other European countries for better opportunities or remain in Nigeria, intensifying the ongoing brain drain debate.
