The new $150,000 fee for workers entering the United States on H-1B visas could benefit Australian businesses chasing the top overseas talent, says a tech CEO actively recruiting for new staff.
US President Donald Trump’s new executive order lifts the cost of an H-1B visa, intended for temporary workers of “distinguished merit and ability” in specialty occupations, from $326.
The announcement rattled the US tech sector, causing employers like Microsoft and Amazon to urge workers sponsored through H-1B visas but travelling overseas to return to the US as soon as possible.
The White House later clarified the new fees will apply to first-time applicants, not visa-holders re-entering the US or renewing their visa.
Even so, the drastic fee increase will influence how technology businesses and job hopefuls use a visa pathway permitting 85,000 new US entries per year.
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Australian business seeks spurned H-1B applicants
David Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Lendi Group, parent company to online home lending platform Lendi and Aussie retail brokerage, says the shock announcement is an opportunity for local businesses seeking top-tier international talent.
Taking to LinkedIn on Monday, Hyman said his business is hiring — and asked H-1B applicants affected by Trump’s new fees to send him a message instead.
“I’ll connect you to our recruiting team for an interview,” he said.
“Our sponsored visas have powered Lendi Group since day one,” Hyman added.
“If this is you, let’s talk.”
Several international workers have already responded to his call-out, Hyman told SmartCompany on Tuesday.
“I’ve also heard from other Australian tech leaders and founders who see this as a unique opportunity,” he said.
“There’s a shared view that Australia can play a much bigger role in attracting global talent – especially now, as the US changes the rules.
“The consensus is that the door is open for us, if we want to walk through it.”
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Australia has several visa pathways granting work and residency rights to skilled tech workers from overseas, and applications cost a fraction of the new $150,000 H-1B fee.
The National Innovation Visa offers permanent residency to individuals with “exceptional and outstanding achievement” in recognised fields.
The more widely-used Skills In Demand visa allows employers to sponsor workers in fields where Australian workers are in shortage.
Elsewhere, the Global Talent Employer Sponsored scheme grants entry and work rights to professionals in niche fields capable of creating more job opportunities for Australians.
To fully take advantage of the shock US announcement, Hyman said the Australian government should offer a 48-hour turnaround on visa applications for workers in the artificial intelligence, engineering, and data fields.
“Right now, waiting months for critical hires is a productivity tax that Australian businesses can’t afford,” he said.
E-3 visa an Australian alternative?
The H1-B decision could open new opportunities for Australian workers hoping to bring their talent to the US, says Amy Meyer, a recruiting consultant specialising in the E-3 pathway.
The E-3 visa grants two years of US working rights for Australian workers with highly specialised skills.
Unlike the H-1B program, which is subject to a lottery process and is fully exhausted each year, the E-3 pathway has 10,500 slots per year, with applications rarely hitting that upper limit.
Its application fee is unaffected by the recent executive order, remaining at $478.
Not everyone is so optimistic about the E-3 visa.
Ravi Velampally is the founder of HBN-Tech, an online marketplace connecting homebuyers to mortgage brokers and conveyancers.
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Based in Queensland, Velampally hopes to one day expand into the US market and fears the new H-1B fees could pull the handbrake on future hiring plans.
“While Aussies technically have access to the E-3, it doesn’t fit founders well and doesn’t address the challenge of hiring skilled tech/AI talent globally,” Velampally told SmartCompany.
Multi-billion dollar corporations like Microsoft or Amazon may ultimately cop the new application fees, but such financial outlays could be impossible for growing firms seeking talent unavailable in the US market.
The new application fee “sends a worrying signal,” said Velampally.
“Policies like this could limit how fast startups like ours can scale and hire internationally, which directly affects future expansion plans into the US.”
