On September 19, President Trump signed a presidential proclamation requiring a $100,000 payment with any new H-1B petition, a hundred-fold jump over prior filing fees. With average annual compensation around $120,000, the added charge nearly doubles a sponsor’s first-year cost for an H-1B hire.

Prior to this order, the H-1B program was ripe for change. Demand routinely exceeded the annual cap, triggering a lottery that favored chance over labor-market need. The lottery also created incentives for bulk filings, including from outsourcing firms capable of flooding the system.

Supporters of the new fee argue it could decrease mass applications and reallocate those visas toward roles with more economic value. Opponents counter that cost is a blunt instrument that will hit smaller employers and startups hardest while leaving the visas to deep-pocketed incumbents.The rollout also surprised businesses, announced late on a Friday and effective less than 48 hours later on Sunday.

This week I spoke with a talent acquisition executive at a major global employer with hundreds of H-1B employees about how they are handling the changes. On paper, they stand to benefit from a policy that raises the price of entry and discourages low-value filings.

The fee is not the biggest issue right now; uncertainty is. The company has paused filings while it waits for agency guidance, potential revisions, and early court rulings. Offshoring is under review, but may not be necessary. For now, everything is frozen in meeting limbo.

As the business community weighs in, I expect tweaks to the rules, ideally ones better targeted to channel visas toward genuine skill shortages. But what employers need most now is clarity.

— David

P.S. If you found this newsletter valuable, chances are your colleagues will too. Feel free to forward it along—and if it landed in your inbox by way of a friend, you can subscribe here to get the next one directly.

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Featured Story

Why AI Hiring Tools Can Put Recruiting Leaders in the Hot Seat

AI hiring tools promise efficiency and fairness, yet LLMs create structural security risks like prompt injection that can manipulate rankings and expose HR data. Raghav Singh warns that leaders face “double exposure” on bias and security, urging bias plus security audits, explainability, and human-in-the-loop governance to avoid legal and reputational fallout. (ERE)

More Recruiting Insights

The AI Momentum Model: Redefining Readiness and Driving Action in HR. This report is full of interesting data from a survey of over 350 HR leaders about AI adoption in their departments. A few that I found interesting:

• Nearly half of HR departments in this survey are either “exploring opportunities” or have no AI activity whatsoever.

• Only 12% reported any form of strategic acceleration (as opposed to testing) in implementing AI initiatives.

• 63% reported that they will increase their AI investment this year.

Read the full report - it’s time well spent. (Kyle & Co.)

Juicebox raises $30M from Sequoia to revolutionize hiring with LLM-powered search. I’ve been hearing positive chatter from users of Juicebox from the talent acquisition professionals. Congratulations to the team! (TechCrunch)

Tech Hiring Is Still Frozen. Here’s the Real Reason Why. This article posits that tech hiring is “frozen” because leadership is paralyzed by uncertainty and unproven AI bets, not because talent is lacking. Executives are delaying decisions on what teams to build and what tools to fund, which leaves openings unfilled and overworked teams stuck in limbo. I’d argue that it’s more because the tech industry collectively decided that they needed to undo decades of over-hiring and get more lean, but it’s an interesting perspective. (Inc.)

Trump pulls nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics. The White House has withdrawn President Trump’s nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with no official reason given. The move follows weeks of criticism over Antoni’s partisanship and comes after Trump fired BLS chief Erika McEntarfer, keeping the agency that releases jobs and inflation data in limbo. (AP)

Conferences

ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit

San Diego, CA

November 4-5, 2025

The ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit is the premier independent, practitioner-led event designed to deliver actionable insights for talent acquisition professionals. Join your peers to explore practical ideas, proven best practices, and case study solutions from leaders who are tackling the same recruiting challenges as you.

The full agenda is now live—see what’s in store and start planning your experience.

(ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit)

Webinars

Unleash Creativity with AI for Talent Acquisition

October 15, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

Rediscover the creative side of recruiting in this interactive, 1-hour webinar built specifically for Talent Acquisition teams. Led by award-winning sourcer and Riot Games recruitment partner Alla Pavlova, this session goes beyond the AI basics to spark imagination, boost productivity, and bring some fun back into your workflow. (ERE)

Maximizing Talent Acquisition Efficiency Without Burning Out

October 29, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

In this webinar, we’ll break down what’s actually working for lean, effective TA teams right now. From building outbound strategies that don’t rely on increasingly expensive InMails, to identifying which technologies can truly drive efficiency, you’ll get practical strategies for navigating today’s challenges while planning for what’s next. We’ll also cover how to strengthen workforce planning through reskilling, internal mobility, and better use of your existing tools — all without burning out your team. (ERE)