Walmart is reportedly pausing the hiring of candidates who require H-1B visas in direct response to a new, mandatory $100,000 fee ($74,000) imposed by the Trump administration. This decision by the U.S.’s largest private employer, which secured over $2,000$ H-1B visas in the first half of $2025$, highlights the immediate impact of the new policy on major corporations.
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A spokesperson stated Walmart remains committed to hiring “the best talent” while being “thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach.”
Administration’s Rationale and Industry Pushback:
President Trump’s executive order imposing the massive fee applies only to new H-1B visa requests. The administration defends the action by claiming the skilled foreign worker program is subject to “abuse” and undercuts the American workforce. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick underscored this, suggesting the fee forces companies to decide if a foreign worker is “valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home, and they should go hire an American.”
However, the order has been met with fierce opposition from business groups:
- Lawsuit: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit, arguing the fee is “cost-prohibitive” and will harm American businesses by either increasing labor costs or reducing the hiring of highly skilled employees.
- White House Response: The White House called the fee lawful and a “necessary, initial, incremental step” toward reforming the H-1B program.
H-1B Usage and Demographics:
While Walmart leads the retail sector, the H-1B visa program is primarily associated with U.S. tech giants:
- Top Users: In the first half of $2025$, Amazon topped the list with over $10,000$ approved H-1B visas. Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google each secured more than $4,000$.
- Source Countries: The program is heavily dominated by workers from India (over $70\%$ of recipients) and China (about $12\%$).
- The Debate: Supporters, like Elon Musk, argue the H-1B allows the U.S. to attract top global talent, while critics maintain it negatively impacts the domestic job market.
