Core Points - President Trump's proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee has caused confusion among large U.S. companies, leading to a clarification from the White House that it is a one-time fee applicable only at the time of visa petition filing [1][5] - Major companies such as Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon have instructed their H-1B employees to return to the U.S. and cancel travel plans following the announcement of the visa fee [2] - The new policy comes amid allegations of discrimination against tech companies, with OpenAI and others accused of prioritizing H-1B applicants in job ads [4] Corporate Impact - As of early 2025, Amazon and its cloud unit AWS had received over 12,000 H-1B approvals, while Microsoft and Meta had each secured over 5,000 approvals [3] - JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs also issued warnings to their H-1B employees regarding the visa fee implications [2] Legal and Political Context - The H-1B visa issue has created divisions within Trump's circle, with figures like Elon Musk advocating for skilled immigration, while others like Vice President J.D. Vance argue for prioritizing American workers [6] - The new policy includes a $1 million "gold card" visa for wealthy investors seeking U.S. citizenship, while existing H-1B holders can continue their usual travel without the new fee applying to them [7]