Walmart to pause hiring H-1B visa candidates
(MENAFN) Walmart has announced it will temporarily halt hiring candidates who require H-1B visas, following the Trump administration’s new $100,000 fee for applicants, a news outlet reported.
The move comes as US employers grapple with the financial impact of the policy.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month imposing the fee, citing concerns that the H-1B programme for skilled foreign workers “undercuts” the American workforce. Walmart is among the largest retail users of the programme, with more than 2,000 H-1B visas approved in the first half of 2025.
A Walmart spokesperson said the company remains “committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach.” The decision to pause H-1B hiring was first reported by a news agency.
As the largest private employer in the US, Walmart has roughly 1.6 million employees nationwide. While H-1B visas are often associated with the tech sector, Walmart is a major beneficiary in retail. Amazon received more than 10,000 H-1B visas in the first half of 2025, while Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google each secured over 4,000. Startups and smaller firms also rely on the programme.
Trump’s order applies only to new visa applications and mandates the $100,000 payment before entry is allowed. Critics argue the fee will make the programme cost-prohibitive, while supporters, including Elon Musk, contend it is essential for attracting top international talent.
India accounts for over 70% of H-1B recipients, followed by China at 12%.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasized the impact of the fee, stating, “The company needs to decide… is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home, and they should go hire an American.”
Business groups have opposed the order. The US Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit last week, warning that the fee could force employers to either raise labor costs or reduce hiring of highly skilled workers. The White House defended the measure, describing it as a “lawful” and “necessary, initial, incremental step towards necessary reforms” of the H-1B programme.
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