To be clear: 1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. 2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter. H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the

@PressSec Major fail then. This should apply retroactively, but at a minimum it needs to apply annually to renewals. Otherwise it's no real incentive to hire Americans instead.

@PressSec Well this ruined my day. It should apply to renewals. And it should apply to transfers. And it should apply to ones that leave and return. Because if they leave and return so much - why aren't they just employed remotely? Why do they need a visa?

@PressSec Holy smokes. Then the Executive Order solves nothing for current job seekers. And, if the $100,000 fee is a one time event it is just a parlor trick with no teeth. Gen Z is not going to be happy about this.

@PressSec This is why you need H1B professionals. 😉. All this should have been clarified yesterday rather than creating panic, confusion amongst Visa holders not currently in the USA.

@PressSec Not an annual fee? I guess Lutnick didn't get that memo?

@PressSec @WhiteHouse Why do we not apply it to all current H1B visas? That seems the most fair practice. I truly hope there are enforcement measures for those who violate the visa terms and conditions.

@PressSec It needs to be annual. If the H-1B doesn’t deliver enough value to justify the fee, why hire them if it’s not intended to lower wages of Americans?

@PressSec H1Bs can last six years with a renewal. If the fee is only one-time, companies are going to just withhold $17k a year from their indentured servants to get paid back. This does nothing and you all should be ashamed.

@PressSec WTF are you talking about?!!! Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was standing right next to Trump at the signing when he (Lutnick) said it absolutely is an annual fee!!!!

@PressSec So why did Lutnick create panic by saying the opposite? Was he lying to our faces, or is it just a matter of time?

@PressSec So much for "America First." Until you stop the displacement of American workers at every level, these feeble symbolic gestures will only deepen hatred for a government that favors internationalists over its own people.

@PressSec So, the status quo is locked in, but the employers have to pay a fee? Please tell me that this is just a piece of a greater plan, because otherwise, this doesn't seem to do anything for current American STEM grads who can't find jobs.

@PressSec Trump has an infuriating knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. He covered all this in the memo: They're stealing American jobs US STEM graduate unemployment is unacceptably high The employers are gaming the system Yet he's clarifying now that it was a head-fake.

@PressSec These clarifications completely undermine the policy, @PressSec. @howardlutnick stated the $100,000 H-1B Visa fee is an ANNUAL fee. Is the Secretary of Commerce mistaken?

@PressSec @RapidResponse47 Plus, you need to plug the adjustment of status (AOS) hole because many are temporary *work related* VISA’s like H1-B but their real goal is to circumvent having to apply directly as immigrants and its created a process loophole. JS

@PressSec Literal Monkey’s Paw President There is nothing in the world more thankless than being MAGA

@PressSec Well that's not what we were told last night. Please fix it to align with what Howard said. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

@PressSec Not acceptable. Put it back the way they told us it was, literally just yesterday, from the Oval Office. For once, announce something good without undercutting and negating it inside 24 hours. Grow a spine. Actually have the courage of your convictions.

@PressSec Which current problem does this solve? It seems next year's H1-b visas have already been allocated, and those already on H1-b will continue working at American jobs. If it doesn't apply to renewals, then what is the point? A foot in the door, but unlikely to move the needle.

@PressSec @howardlutnick, you said “every year”. What’s the deal? Is this a one-time fee or every year?

@PressSec Great idea to “reassure” the foreign scabs; I've seen others saying similar. This will prevent them from rushing back and missing the Sunday deadline. Just remember to pull the rug out on Monday ok????

@PressSec It should apply to existing H-1B Visas too.

@PressSec @WhiteHouse Why bend the American people over for the tech boys. Full implementation every year for the H1B and the H4

@PressSec Can we get rid of the lotteries please? It makes citizenship look like a carnival game prize.

@PressSec There is no reason not to make it apply to renewals other than to allow the large corporate entities to continue to depress American wages artificially. Is it good to cut the pipeline? Yes, of course. But you need to address the abuse that has occurred, not just prevent it

@PressSec this is going to be a strong forcing function for very early stage cos to hire locally or at the very least, hire remotely. it's just way too expensive to spend pre-seed/seed money on H-1Bs. it's a huge constraint, but it will force founders to hire only the BEST immigrants.

@PressSec Did you watch the same press conference we did yesterday? You need to stop letting the boys communicate these things. 🫣 https://youtu.be/PH4ImvvjX3Q

@PressSec This should have been clarified in yesterday’s decision There has been huge anxiousness and confusion People who had bought houses on mortgages , had kids in school went into a panic mode

@PressSec lmao.

@PressSec This is not good enough. And not what America signed up for. Go review the celebration yesterday across MAGA and left of center white collar workers on X. A step in the right direction, but primaries are ahead. This is topic #1

@PressSec @WhiteHouse Ok. Everyone needs to chimp out This isn’t nearly enough to stop the flood of immigrants that executives use to suppress wages.

@PressSec That is a massive mistake. It needs to be an annual fee, and it needs to be applied to current visa-holders. All current visa-holders have jobs which were taken away from Americans by a fraudulent system, abused by corporations. The American people trust you to fix this.

@PressSec That's a shame, it means we're going to keep chimping out until the program is ended, and we're coming for OPT, H4, L-1, F-1, offshoring, and everything else that puts American workers at a disadvantage. Nothing less than total victory is going to make us stop.

@PressSec Well, then this is not great. I thought this was going to really help American workers. $100K is a drop in the bucket one-time fee for big companies. They won't give a crap.

@PressSec why not start now including existing h1-b visa holders?

@PressSec @VBierschwale They literally said a “yearly” fee live on TV.