Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation to impose an annual fee of $100,000 for an H-1B nonimmigrant visa application for highly skilled foreign workers, as his administration aims to ensure tech firms prioritize training Americans over hiring foreign workers.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the fee is anticipated to impact Korean companies relying on a stable visa program to bring skilled workers into the United States for setting up and operating factories as part of their investment projects. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick discussed the fee for the H-1B visa, which allows a three-year stay with one possible renewal, totaling up to six years. He urged tech companies to train Americans rather than bringing in foreign workers.

"The whole idea is no more will these big-tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $100,000, then they have to pay the employee. So it's just not economic," Lutnick stated during a press availability at the White House alongside President Trump.

Lutnick emphasized the administration's stance on prioritizing American graduates from top universities for employment, explaining that the $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas would necessitate companies to reconsider the value of hiring foreign workers. He clarified that the fee is annual and could amount to $600,000 for the full six-year duration of the visa.

The proclamation arrives amid South Korea's ongoing efforts to resolve visa-related challenges for skilled professionals, following a U.S. immigration raid at a Korean plant construction site in Georgia, resulting in the arrest of over 310 Korean nationals. The incident has sparked concerns about potential conflicts between the Trump administration's foreign investment attraction efforts and its immigration policies.