China reacts strongly after Trump announces a price hike of popular US visa from $1,500 to $100,000

Donald Trump is advocating for prioritizing domestic candidates over international ones

China has responded after Donald Trump announced a significant increase in the cost of a popular US visa.

The H-1B visa in the US is a visa for skilled workers, including those in the tech industry and medicine, allowing companies to employ foreign specialists.

It is widely used in the tech industry, with Indians being the largest group of visa recipients and Chinese people being the second largest group, according to the BBC.

Trump made a startling announcement on Friday (September 19), stating that the visa price would jump from $1,500 to $100,000.

The administration has indicated that this significant price increase is part of an initiative to motivate companies to employ domestic workers rather than seeking international talent.

In response, China has issued a cold reaction to the announcement.

Donald Trump has raised the price to $100,000

During a regular press briefing on September 22, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun avoided directly addressing the issue but stated that China 'welcomes outstanding talents'.

A translation of his comments, published in the Chinese state-run Global Times, noted: "In the era of globalization, the cross-border flow of talent has driven technological progress and economic development worldwide."

He further remarked: "China welcomes outstanding talents from all industries and fields globally to come to China, settle in China, and collaboratively promote the continuous progress of human society while pursuing personal career development."

Individuals moving to the US from China constitute the second-largest group of H-1B visa recipients by nationality, accounting for about 12 percent of the recipients.

In contrast, individuals from India form the largest group by a significant margin, making up approximately 70 percent of the visa recipients.

Chinese President Xi Jinping

The rise in visa fees has been described as a 'direct attack' on Indians seeking to work and study in the US.

Sudhanshu Kaushik, founder of the North American Association of Indian Students, expressed to the BBC: "It felt like a direct attack, given that the fees are already paid, resulting in a significant sunk cost of between $50,000 and $100,000 per student—and now the most promising path to joining the American workforce has been eliminated."

Business analysts have also criticized the proposals, suggesting that the increased costs and growing demand for labor might lead US companies to consider outsourcing work to other countries instead of sponsoring international workers to come to the US.

The H-1B visa is often targeted by anti-immigration groups, who claim it 'undercuts' American workers.