Walmart will pause job offers to individuals who require H-1B visas to work in the U.S., according to multiple reports. It comes after President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on the visas.
Walmart’s pause
The decision from Walmart was first reported by Bloomberg.
Walmart is the largest private-sector employer in the country with more than 2 million employees. The company also sponsors more workers through the H-1B visa program than any other retail company. Walmart has roughly 2,400 employees in the program so far in U.S. FY25.
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“Walmart is committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach,” a Walmart spokesperson told SAN.
H-1B changes
Walmart’s changes come after Trump’s executive order last month, which imposed the fee on the visas. That fee does not apply to current H-1B holders or any petitions filed before Sept. 21.
The administration stated that the fee is intended to prevent abuse of the program and encourage the use of American workers.
While Walmart is the largest retailer using the program, it’s most often used by the country’s tech giants, like Amazon, Microsoft and Meta. Those large tech companies also recently went in front of lawmakers who wanted explanations on why those companies use so many H-1B visas.
Other than the U.S., the new policy will also have a big impact on India, where the majority of workers on the H-1B visa come from. Data from Visual Capitalist shows 71% of H-1B visas approved in FY24 came from India, while roughly 12% came from China. The Philippines, Canada and South Korea round out the top five.
Policy pushback
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced a lawsuit last week against the Trump administration over the new policy. That agency has supported most of the president’s plans, but said this one will not help achieve his goals.
“The Chamber and our members have actively backed these proposals to attract more investment in America,” Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the chamber, said in a statement. “To support this growth, our economy will require more workers, not fewer.”
