Walmart Hiring Alert: US Firm Halts Job Offers To H-1B Visa Candidates After $1,00,000 Visa Fee Rule

Walmart Hiring Alert: The US-based retail chain operator, Walmart, has reportedly paused the hiring of candidates who will require an H-1B visa, reported BBC citing sources. The development has come weeks after the US government imposed a massive $1,00,000 fee on the visa category. The decision is likely to impact the Indian job applicants, who are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa application category.

The fee hike by the US government is another effort by President Donald Trump to reform the visa programme and reduce its overuse. As per estimates, the H-1B visa programme offers around 65,000 visas for temporary foreign workers in specialised fields.

An additional 20,000 visas are available for those with advanced degrees. As per the recent guidelines by the US government, visa holders are exempted from the $1,00,000 fee when they are changing their status. But those who are applying for the H-1B visa for the first time have to pay the one-time fee. Walmart is reportedly one of the biggest beneficiaries of H-1B visa policies. Walmart's corporate staff is primarily affected by this new guideline.

Walmart employs around 2,390 H-1B visa holders among its vast workforce of approximately 1.6 million in the US. Other big employers of H-1B visa holders are Amazon.com and Microsoft Corporation.

These companies heavily rely on such visas due to a shortage of professionals in science and technology fields.

Universities and hospitals also rely on these visas for hiring researchers and lecturers. The recent changes have sparked debate about balancing access to global talent with protecting domestic employment opportunities.

US H-1B Visa Rule Changes

US President Donald Trump, on September 19, signed a proclamation. "Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers." The new proclamation imposed a one-time fee of $1,00,000 on H-1B visa applicants, according to an official statement by the White House.
As per the press release, the new H-1B visa fees is not application to any "previously issued H-1B visas, or any petitions submitted prior to 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on Sept. 21, 2025."

Additionally, it does not change any payments or fees required to be submitted in connection with any H-1B renewals. The fee is a one-time fee on submission of a new H-1B petition. According to experts, the new H-1B visa fees will deter startups and US-based companies to hire talented immigrant workers.

Before the H-1B visa fee hike, Donald Trump had announced to bring a US golden visa card to bring talented non-Americans to settle in the country and offer employment opportunities in the US. The US golden visa card is estimated to cost around $ 1 million to applicants.