OpenAI and Nvidia have sharply increased their H-1B visa applications despite a $100,000 fee imposed last year by former President Donald Trump. According to a Fortune analysis, Nvidia’s certified H-1B applications rose 19% in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2025, while OpenAI’s filings more than tripled. This contrasts with major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, which have reduced their H-1B filings over the same period.
The fee, introduced as a surcharge on new H-1B visas, was intended to align financial incentives around skilled immigration. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed support for the move, telling CNBC he was glad to see the administration’s actions, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also backed the policy. Despite the high cost, frontier AI companies with fewer hires but significant capital have continued to file aggressively, while larger firms with thousands of sponsored workers have pulled back due to the prohibitive expense.
The divergence in H-1B application trends highlights differing hiring strategies and financial calculations across the tech sector. Amazon, the largest H-1B sponsor in the US, along with Google and Microsoft, have scaled back their filings, reflecting the fee’s impact on companies with large workforces. In contrast, AI-focused firms like OpenAI and Nvidia view the fee as a manageable cost given their need for elite talent and substantial funding, underscoring the growing competition for specialized skills in artificial intelligence.
On Monday, a federal judge struck down the $100,000 H-1B visa fee, ruling it an unlawful tax. This decision could reshape hiring dynamics for tech companies reliant on foreign talent. Nvidia’s certified H-1B applications numbered roughly 765 in the first quarter, illustrating the scale of its visa sponsorship efforts despite the fee, according to Fortune.