Changes to H-1B Visa Program Could Impact International Faculty and Students at Trinity

Helena Likus ’26

News Editor

On Sept. 19, 2025, the President of the United States Donald J. Trump announced changes in the terms of application for H1-B visa, drastically increasing the fee that employers have to pay as a part of visa petition. Previously the application cost was between $2,000-5,000, but starting Sept. 21, 2025, the fee was changed to $100,000. H-1B visas allow employers to hire highly educated foreign workers in specialty occupations for three years. After this period, it often can be renewed for another three years. There is a cap of 85,000 H1-B visas available annually, 20,000 of which are reserved for professionals who earned an advanced degree from a U.S Institution. Because the demand largely outnumbers the supply, who receives a visa is determined through a lottery. The reason for this change, Trump wrote, was the abuse of the H-1B visa program by employers who were more willing to hire foreign workers at lower cost than domestic workers, which is detrimental to the interest of the United States. 

While the majority of H-1B visa holders work in STEM fields, higher education institutions, which employ around 5% of H-1B visa holders, will likely be first affected by this change. Institutions of higher education are allowed to petition for this visa outside of the 85,000 cap and the lottery. This means that while other employers will not have to pay the $100,000 fee until next March when the lottery is over, higher education institutions might. H-1B visas are important for higher education institutions because they benefit from the dual-intent doctrine, which means that it is one of very few non-immigrant visas that allow its holders to simultaneously pursue a legal status in the United States.  

Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Law Abigail Fisher Williamson told the Tripod, “The President’s proclamation on H1-B visas will have significant implications for higher education, including for Trinity. Requiring a $100,000 fee to hire international faculty and staff through the H1-B will restrict the ability to recruit talented contributors to student learning and research innovation. I am pleased to see that the American Association for University Professors (AAUP) has joined a lawsuit challenging the proclamation on the basis that the president lacks the authority to impose a tax on employers’ hiring absent Congressional action. I hope that Trinity leadership will participate in higher education coalitions that reaffirm the value of immigrant workers and international students and challenge actions that undermine their presence and safety in our communities.” 

In terms of Trinity’s response to the changes in H1-B visa, the Tripod asked the administration whether they expect changes in their hiring process. Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Kate Durante responded in an email, “Trinity continues to closely monitor federal changes to the H-1B visa program. Competitive colleges like ours aim to recruit and retain talented faculty and staff to provide a world-class education. Working with the Academic Affairs office, we will continue following federal regulations, while also supporting our international employees.” By comparison, Williams College shared with their students that they will not change anything about their hiring process despite the increase in the visa fee. 

The changes to the H-1B visa program also have relevance for students. “The new proclamation regarding the H-1B specifically refers to a $100,000 fee required as part of the sponsorship for those applying for the visa outside the U.S. Those changing status in the U.S. to H-1B from F-1 should not be affected by the imposed fee,” wrote Katie Clair, associate director of Trinity’s Office of International Students and Scholars in an email to the Tripod. “I have heard from many who are concerned about it because the proclamation is not clear about this aspect even in the published Q&A. We do expect that this proclamation will deter international students from coming to the U.S. to study. It will likely weaken the United States’s standing in the STEM fields and greatly affect the ability for those in the medical field to come and work in the United States.” 

One current international student shared with the Tripod, “Maybe in a very short term it is going to be good for the American economy, but in the long term, I think it is going to be really bad. On a personal level, it is going to make it harder for us as internationals to stay here and we might seek opportunities elsewhere.” 

The Tripod also spoke to an international alumna, who, upon graduating from Trinity in 2025, stayed in the United States to continue her education. “I could have gone back home upon graduating from Trinity, but I made a deliberate decision to stay in the United States and pursue an advanced degree because I was shown that I am an asset here,” she said. “I feel like a lot of people are not aware of how much work international students need to do to get into U.S universities and even more to be able to stay here after graduating. I understand that the changes to the H-1B visa do not fully make it impossible for me to stay, but it surely is yet another thing that makes it harder and, frankly, less desirable. It is painful to see a country that you invested so much in label you as an obstacle and make you feel unwanted.”