The Trump administration has recently tightened H-1B visa regulations, raising the visa fee to as much as $100,000 in an effort to curb foreign hiring and prioritize employment for American workers. The move was aimed at encouraging U.S. technology companies to reduce dependence on overseas talent. However, despite the steep increase in costs and stricter norms, major tech companies have shown no signs of scaling back their reliance on H-1B visa holders.
According to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), demand for H-1B visas has continued to rise, driven largely by rapid expansion in the artificial intelligence sector. After analyzing immigration and employment data, the NFAP found that U.S. tech firms are increasingly depending on foreign talent to meet their growing AI workforce requirements.
The report noted that during the 2025 fiscal year, technology companies filed labor condition applications for new H-1B visas, with more than 80 percent linked to AI-related roles. Companies such as Amazon, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Apple accounted for the bulk of these applications, particularly for positions including software developers, computer and information research scientists, and data scientists.
Meanwhile, these five tech giants together invested nearly $380 billion in artificial intelligence in 2025 and are preparing to ramp up spending further in the coming years. To sustain innovation and competitiveness in AI, companies appear willing to absorb higher visa costs to secure skilled foreign professionals, highlighting the continued importance of global talent in the U.S. technology ecosystem.