Axios
If you're an immigrant worker in the U.S. right now, you've got a better shot landing a visa as a farmer than a tech worker, researcher, doctor or nurse . Why it matters : The Trump administration's crackdown on H-1B visas is crushing sectors that rely on high-skilled immigrant workers, while seasonal programs for farm workers have gotten a pass. "There was all of this hype that Trump would be friendly toward high-skilled immigration and harder on low-skilled immigration," said Sam Peak, an immigration expert at the Economic Innovation Group. The opposite has been true, including an admission from the administration that seasonal farm labor jobs can't be filled with Americans. The big picture: Huge new fees ($100k a pop for H-1B visas) are combining with higher salary rules to make importing high-skilled workers less attractive for American employers. At the same time, the administration is lowering the wage requirements for farm workers and helping streamline their visas. "The $100,000 H-1B fee sends a clear message: we must prioritize hiring American talent before hiring foreign labor," USCIS Spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser told Axios in a statement. Zoom in: Most H-1B visas go to IT work and Big Tech companies, a perennial villain for the MAGA populists. But smaller businesses, research institutes (like universities or teaching hospitals), nonprofits and hospitals are bearing the brunt of the visa fee change. Rural hospitals are some of the hardest hit outside of tech work by the new fee. "The issue right now for rural patients isn't: do I want a foreign nurse or do I want an American nurse? The issue is: do I want foreigners or is my facility going to slow down patient care?" said immigration attorney Chris Musillo. Trump allies in Texas and Florida are trying to implement state government freezes on sponsoring H-1B visas, which will inevitably impact public universities and medical centers. By the numbers: Just 85 applicants have paid the $100,000 visa fee as of Feb. 15, according to an agency declaration in a lawsuit. In fiscal year 2024 , more than 65,000 approved H-1B recipients would have been subject to the fee. Additionally, the Department of Labor is preparing to implement a new salary formula that increases the labor costs for H-1B visa workers. "The previous methodology implicitly allowed employers to hire experienced foreign workers and pay them as an entry-level U.S. worker. It created perverse incentives to avoid hiring entry-level U.S. workers," a DOL spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Between the lines: Farmers struggling to fill their ranks are finding relief from the Trump administration. DOL has cut the hourly rates for these seasonal workers — ranging from $1 to $3 an hour decreases depending on the state — and created a new "one-stop shop" to streamline these visas. "The farming community has fairly deep roots in the GOP," Peak said. "I really think it comes down to farmers being in a lot of red districts and having close ties with the administration and members of Congress." The bottom line: These changes enraged the United Farm Workers, a union that's long struggled against migrant labor undercutting its members. The UFW is suing the Trump administration over the changes. "There is nothing "America First" about expanding exploitative guest worker programs that undercut and displace American workers," Teresa Romero, UFW president, said in a statement on the lawsuit, adding that the changes allow "big agricultural corporations to exploit cheap foreign labor."
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