Why Trump wants H-1B skilled worker visas to cost employers more than $100,000

US President Donald Trump is once again trying to impose a $100,000 fee on employers seeking to hire skilled temporary foreign workers through the H-1B visa programme. But while tech titans like Elon Musk have long championed the programme to draw top global talent to Silicon Valley, critics on both left and right say the scheme aims to replace skilled US-born workers with cheaper – and more easily controlled – foreign guest workers.