H-1B visa fee: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has backed US President Donald Trump on the H-1B visa proclamation, which came into effect on September 21. As part of the new order, fresh applications starting next lottery cycle would have to be supplemented with a $100,000 fee.
‘I’ve worked on H-1B for 30 years’
“I’ve worked on H1-B politics for 30 years,” revealed Hastings in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He added, “Trump’s $100k per year tax is a great solution. It will mean H1-B is used just for very high-value jobs, which will mean no lottery needed, and more certainty for those jobs.”
However, the annual fee he is talking about here is not annual but a “one-time fee”, per the order and the clarification later issued by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
I've worked on H1-B politics for 30 years. Trump's $100k per year tax is a great solution. It will mean H1-B is used just for very high value jobs, which will mean no lottery needed, and more certainty for those jobs.
— Reed Hastings (@reedhastings) September 21, 2025
H-1B visa fee: Key takeaways
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared three main pointers from the H-1B order after the proclamation created chaos over the words that the fee is annual, for six years. People also said that the fee would be levied on every H-1B visa holder who would enter the United States.
“This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. 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,” Leavitt said on X.
She added, “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.”
Leavitt further said, “This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders,” before stressing, “It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle.”
‘H-1B costs more now and is riskier’
The post, since being shared on September 21, has gone viral with over one million views and counting. The Post has also received numerous comments.
One social media user also fact-checked his annual fee claim, saying, “It’s not annually, they just clarified it, it’s only a ‘one-time fee’.”
“No company goes out today and hires an H-1B because it’s easier – It already costs more and is riskier. They hire the best person they can find for the job. This will slow companies down & send talent elsewhere – No young person wants to go where finding work is more difficult,” another added.
A third commented, “It’s a great solution if it goes beyond just picking an arbitrary number. Do a retrospective, would Satya and Sundar be here if their employers at the time had to fork over ~$30-$40k to employ them on top of what they paid? Doubt it. Great for Toronto and Vancouver though.”