URGENT: Trump Slaps Tech Industry with $100K H-1B Fee, Threatens Business Boom.

Breaking News: Trump Slaps Tech Industry with $100K H-1B Fee, Threatens Business Boom President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday adding a $100,000 fee for high-skilled workers to enter the country through the H-1B visa program. The new fee is effective immediately and applies to all new applications. The immediate impact of this decision will be felt by hundreds of thousands of people currently living in the US who rely on the H-1B visa program. Tech companies, which have used the program to hire thousands of software engineers and other highly-specialized workers, are warning their employees to remain in the country or risk being unable to return. The H-1B visa program is a key component of the US immigration system, allowing high-skilled workers to enter the country for temporary work. The new fee will significantly increase the cost of hiring foreign workers and may deter companies from using the program altogether. Background context shows that tech companies have been trying to curry favor with Trump this year, but it remains to be seen how effective their efforts will be in mitigating the impact of this decision. The current status is that all new H-1B visa applications must now include a $100,000 fee. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that the fee will be applied retroactively to all pending applications. This is a developing story, with further updates expected as more information becomes available. *This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. Based on reporting from Npr.*