Walmart pauses H-1B hiring after visa fee hike. Check which jobs will be hit

Retail giant Walmart Inc has paused hiring candidates who require an H-1B visa, according to a report in Bloomberg. The move comes in response to a significant policy shift by the Trump administration, which recently introduced a steep $100,000 (Approx Rs 88 lakh) fee for new H-1B applications.

On September 19, President Donald Trump introduced the fee hike on H-1B visa petitions, aiming to discourage the hiring of foreign skilled workers and encourage companies to hire American talent first. Walmart's H-1B pause shows how Trump's decision is forcing big firms to rethink hiring, hitting overseas recruitment and US competitiveness.

The move will also impact Indians, who are the largest beneficiaries of H-1B visas—70% of recipients in 2024 were Indian nationals.

Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the change primarily affects corporate roles within Walmart, rather than positions in retail stores or distribution centres.

The company, which employs about 1.6 million people in the US, currently has around 2,390 H-1B visa holders on its payroll, Bloomberg reported, citing government data.

WALMART HALTS H-1B OFFERS, CITES 'THOUGHTFUL' APPROACH

A company spokesperson said Walmart was "thoughtful about H-1B visa hiring".

"Walmart is committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach," Bloomberg cited the Walmart spokesperson as saying.

The pause illustrates growing corporate unease with the Trump administration's new visa regulations. Introduced last month, the administration's $100,000 visa fee is aimed at deterring what it calls "overuse" of the H-1B system, which enables US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

While Walmart is the largest user of H-1B workers among retail chains, it remains a relatively modest participant compared to tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, which each employ significantly higher numbers of foreign tech workers under the program.

UNCERTAINTY GROWS AS WALWART PAUSES HIRING

The pause to new H-1B hiring adds to the confusion that has beset employers and H-1B holders since the change was announced, according to the report.

H-1B visa holders call the policy unpredictability frustrating despite following US law, while employers say visa quotas hinder staffing.

The US Chamber of Commerce, a powerful conservative business advocacy group, slammed the fee hike. The advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the move, calling it "unlawful and "harmful" to small and medium-sized businesses.

"The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for US employers, especially start-ups and small and mid-size businesses, to utilise the H-1B program, which was created by Congress expressly to ensure that American businesses of all sizes can access the global talent they need to grow their operations here in the US," Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement following the lawsuit.

However, the White House has defended the visa fee hike, calling it a "lawful" measure and a gradual move toward broader H-1B programme reforms.

Some critics argue that the H-1B programme, originally designed in 1990 to fill targeted labour gaps, has been misused in ways that disadvantage qualified US professionals, according to the Bloomberg report.

Today, visas are used primarily by the tech industry, which has pointed to a dearth of professionals with science, math, and computer skills. Universities and hospitals also rely on them to recruit researchers and lecturers, the report added.

Walmart paused the fresh hiring for H-1B visa holders after the Trump administration clarified exemptions to the controversial $100,000 H-1B visa fee introduced via a presidential proclamation.

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