Trump Investigates H-1B Visa: Why Amazon, Microsoft, and Google Depend on It

The administration of US President Donald Trump has launched its first major investigation into the alleged misuse of the H-1B work visa programme, which has long served as the primary pathway for recruiting highly skilled foreign workers by technology companies.

US Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito stated that investigators have begun issuing dozens of subpoenas as part of the probe into suspected fraud within the programme. The statement was made to Fox Business on Wednesday.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers for positions requiring specialised expertise, such as software developers, engineers, data scientists, and other technology professionals. The visa is typically granted for a period of three years and can be extended for a total of six years.

This investigation marks a continuation of the Trump administration’s policy of tightening scrutiny on foreign work visa usage. In September 2025, Trump signed a proclamation raising the sponsorship fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 per applicant. At the time, Trump argued the policy was necessary to halt what he described as the ‘systematic abuse’ of the H-1B programme, which he claimed had led to the replacement of American workers by foreign labour and threatened US economic and national security.

However, the policy was short-lived. In June, a federal judge in Boston, Massachusetts, struck down the $100,000 fee provision. The court ruled that the government had exceeded its authority, as the levy essentially constituted a tax that only Congress can impose or delegate. Prior to the Trump-era rule, companies generally paid only a few thousand dollars to sponsor an H-1B visa for a foreign worker.

The latest investigation is expected to increase scrutiny on companies utilising the H-1B programme, while also signalling that the Trump administration continues to prioritise labour policy and the protection of domestic workers as a key agenda item.