(MENAFN) Walmart will temporarily halt its recruitment of candidates requiring H-1B visas, according to the BBC, due to a new $100,000 (£74,000) fee introduced by the Trump administration. The fee, signed into law last month by President Donald Trump, has created concerns among US employers.

Trump justified the move by accusing the H-1B visa program of being abused, arguing that it undermines the American workforce by bringing in foreign workers at lower wages.

As the largest retail chain using the H-1B program, Walmart saw over 2,000 H-1B visas approved during the first half of 2025.

A Walmart spokesperson confirmed the company is "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 Bloomberg News. Walmart, which is the largest private employer in the US, with approximately 1.6 million employees nationwide, remains the top beneficiary of the H-1B program in the retail sector. However, the program is more commonly associated with major tech firms in the US.

Amazon leads all companies in H-1B visa approvals, with over 10,000 granted in the first half of 2025.

Other tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google each received more than 4,000 H-1B visas through June, according to US government data.

Additionally, startups and small businesses outside of the tech industry also rely on the H-1B program to hire foreign workers.

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