From Business Insider · Charissa Cheong · · 2m
A year of H-1B chaos upends foreign workers' American dreams
After the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, Business Insider tracked how the policy upheaval disrupted careers, families, and futures.
In brief
After the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, Business Insider tracked how the policy upheaval disrupted careers, families, and futures. The Trump administration's September 2025 H-1B fee and subsequent immigration policy changes have triggered a year of turmoil for foreign workers, forcing many…
The $100,000 fee that changed everything
In September 2025, the Trump administration introduced a one hundred thousand dollar fee for certain new H-1B petitions, triggering a yearlong fallout affecting foreign workers across the immigration system.
Policy changes ripple across immigration
The administration has made and proposed more changes touching multiple rungs of the immigration ladder, from student visas to green card sponsorships, creating widespread uncertainty.
The stated rationale for the fee
A White House spokesperson said the H-1B fee was intended to focus sponsorship on truly highly specialized temporary labor. USCIS said its goal is to ensure employment-based visa programs supplement, not supplant American workers.
“truly highly specialized temporary labor”
Business Insider's year of reporting
Over the past year, Business Insider spoke to more than two dozen H-1B visa holders and hopefuls, examining how the visa system affected foreign nationals' careers and families.
Two goals: document and humanize
The project aimed to chronicle impacts of immigration policy upheaval while keeping the spotlight on the humans whose lives, careers, and dreams are shaped and sometimes disrupted by those policies.
Winners and losers identified
Business Insider examined the H-1B system from the top down, speaking with immigration lawyers and experts to identify which industries, employers, and workers emerged as winners and losers under changing rules.
Personal stories of upheaval
Many foreign nationals who received or applied for H-1B visas shared their stories, describing what brought them to the US, the sacrifices of building a life there, and whether the H-1B dream ultimately paid off.
Fear of visibility during crackdowns
Many people who spoke to Business Insider for this series expressed qualms about making themselves visible during a time of intense immigration crackdowns, yet chose to share their experiences.
Restarting lives elsewhere
Three people shared video interviews describing how they had hoped to build lives in the US through the H-1B visa system but ultimately left when those plans fell apart, now navigating consequences elsewhere.
The bottom line
The Trump administration's September 2025 H-1B fee and subsequent immigration policy changes have triggered a year of turmoil for foreign workers, forcing many to abandon US careers and restart lives elsewhere.
