How the new $ 100k H-1B compensation could fall on the demand for housing in important American markets

Living in the US has just become more expensive if you have a certain visa. President Donald Trump Signed a proclamation on 18 September that requires companies to pay a new fee of $ 100,000 for H-1B-VISA for very skilled employees.

“The H-1B-Niet-Immigrant Vision Program was established to bring temporary employees to the United States to perform additive, highly skilled positions, but it is deliberately exploited to replace American employees, instead of supplementing American employees with lower, lower-skilled work,” said the announcement.

This announcement affects a majority of very skilled employees in the US on VISA frequently in computer and technology-related jobs.

“The proclamation, still vague in its details, has created a new uncertainty for both new and existing H – 1B employees – and possibly for other temporary work visa such as L and O – the expectations and behavior,” says, “says” Jiayi XuAn economist with REALTOR.COM®.

There are an estimated 730,000 H-1B holders in the US, according to Fwd.usA dual organization for social well -being, and many are well -paid and highly educated. In 2023, FWD.US says that the median wage for H-1B employees was $ 118,000.

These employees and their families contribute to the housing economy, and now the uncertainty that surrounds the costs of the new reimbursement for an immigration visum can influence the purchases and rental of home.

Which states are affected

The states that are most affected are financial and technical capitals such as New York and New Jersey; California; Washington; Virginia and Washington, DC; and Texas.

According to the USCIS H-1B Employer Data HubThe top five subways for approved H-1B-VISA per 100 employees in 2023 were New York City; Chicago; College Station, TX; Irving, TX; and Richardson, TX.

“There will be negative effects in smaller cities where large employers submit many applications,” says Eric Finnigan, vice -president of Demography research at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, says Realtor.com.

He notes that almost all approvals were in college station for one company – because of roads – while almost all went to Infosys in Richardson.

“Many foreign employees can postpone the homeowner and stay on the rental market for longer,” says Xu. “Given their higher income, this in particular would stimulate the demand for high -quality rental, which adds upward pressure on rental prices.

“The impact will be most pronounced in markets with limited delivery and considerable population of foreign employees, such as New York City, where the rental prices are already at record highs.”

In August, the median who rented in the city was $ 2,946.

“For H-1B holders or other visa holders from the temperature that are still planning to buy, the uncertain policy environment-combined can be challenged with an overall tightening of immigration-atmosphere-the financing, because lenders demand larger payments or impose higher mortgage interest,” explains XU.

Confusion

The news of a huge increase in a visa sponge costs that had previously cost a few Grand has involved many employees.

White House Pers Secretary Karoline Leavitt Wrote on x: “1.) This is not an annual reimbursement. It is a one-off reimbursement that only applies to the petition. 2.) Those who already have H-1B-VISA and are currently outside the country, are now not charged of $ 100,000 to go back in. 3.) This only applies to new visas, not to new Visa, and not the current Visa holders.”

Leavitt said that the indictment would come into effect at the next upcoming lottery cycle, expected to start in March 2026.

But Nicole GunaraHead of immigration lawyer in manifest law, says that things are not as simple as the clarifications of social media make them seem.

Formal policy guidelines issued by the relevant government agencies, American citizenship and immigration services and customs and border protections were slightly more vagient.

Gunara tells RealTor.com that the definition of “renewal” on the FAQs of the agencies was not clear and that the new compensation could possibly apply to current visa holders that employers change.

“If the renewal is not for an extension with the same employer, you can assume that a fee of $ 100,000 can be assessed until further guidelines are issued,” she says.

She also says that she has not seen so many large-scale immigration confusion since the travel berths announced in the early 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemie.

“We have had a lot of panic groups,” she says. “Unless you are someone who lives and breathes this stuff, it is really difficult to understand these defined terms.”

What it could cost

Amazon and his cloud-computer unit, AWS, received approval for more than 12,000 H-1B-VISA in the first half of 2025. Microsoft and Meta each had more than 5,000 H-1B Visa approvals, according to Reuters.

If the new reimbursement applies to those current visa holders, this Amazon alone can cost more than a billion dollars.

“It’s an evolving situation,” says Gunara. “The first reaction was panic, but now it is waiting for further clarification or guidance with held breath.”

She predicts that companies that make heavy use of H-1B-VISA will or will run to other types of visas or will start exerting pressure on the “powers” behind the scenes.

Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal Reports that on Thursday American legislators have asked large companies, such as Amazon and Apple, to explain why they hire thousands of foreign employees, but dismiss thousands of Americans.

Other paths to residence

International Residence and Citizenship Advisory Specialists Henley & Partners points out that the performance against H-1B-VISA also opened the administration on the opening of new investment-based paths.

“The initiatives seem to reform the American immigration landscape by limiting the traditional options sponsored by the employer and at the same time introducing new donation-based paths,” the company said in a edition.

There is the Gold Card Executive OrderFor which a gift of $ 1 million by private individuals or a gift of $ 2 million requires by business sponsors, with accelerated approvals for applicants who pass a rigorous preclearance checks.

Then there is the Platina card proposal, which requires a contribution of $ 5 million with which recipients can spend up to 270 days in the country annually without being subject to the US tax on foreign income.

The gold and platinavisa, in contrast to the EB-5 Visa programwhich has been around since 1990, have no requirements for making jobs.

Regarding whether these new paths will attract individuals, including the centimillionaries of the world (those who have at least $ 100 million) and billionaires, the states can still be seen.

“These announcements reflect an important moment in the American immigration policy,” says JUERG SteffenCEO at Henley & Partners. “Although the details of the new paths are still evolving, they show an openness to innovative approaches.”