Walmart Inc. has temporarily halted its job offers to candidates requiring H-1B work visas, according to people familiar with the company’s internal hiring policy. The decision follows the Trump administration’s recent move to impose a $100,000 application fee on new H-1B petitions — a significant shift in immigration policy that has prompted widespread reassessment among U.S. corporations employing international talent.
The temporary hiring freeze primarily affects Walmart’s corporate division and select technology-related roles within its U.S. operations. While the pause is relatively small in scale compared with the retail giant’s total domestic workforce of approximately 1.6 million employees, it represents a notable shift for one of the largest private employers in the country.
Federal data indicate that Walmart currently employs around 2,390 H-1B visa holders across its U.S. operations, making it the largest employer of such workers among major retail companies. Although that number is substantial, it remains modest compared with technology-focused corporations like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms, all of which maintain extensive reliance on foreign-born professionals, particularly in engineering and data science roles.
In a statement, a Walmart spokesperson said the company continues to prioritize talent acquisition while evaluating the broader implications of the new visa fee policy. “Walmart is committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach,” the company representative said.
The $100,000 visa fee, introduced under the Trump administration’s wider immigration reform framework, has drawn criticism from several business sectors, especially those dependent on specialized international labor. Legal experts note that the policy effectively raises the cost of hiring global professionals to a level that may deter smaller firms from participation in the visa program.
Industry analysts suggest that Walmart’s decision reflects a broader climate of uncertainty. The retail and logistics sectors, while less dependent on foreign workers than Silicon Valley’s technology hubs, still rely on skilled professionals for supply chain management, software development, and data analytics roles. Any change in the availability of such talent could impact long-term innovation and operational efficiency within large enterprises.
The company’s current move also follows a separate incident earlier in 2025, when Walmart addressed online speculation about alleged misuse of H-1B visas. At the time, social media posts circulated unverified claims linking Walmart’s Global Tech division to irregularities in contract hiring practices. The company responded by confirming that it had conducted an internal review, which led to the termination of one vendor and a few U.S.-based associates. Walmart clarified that the internal probe “had nothing to do with H-1B visas,” dismissing the social media allegations as baseless.
The H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to employ foreign professionals in specialized occupations, has been at the center of political and economic debate for years. Supporters argue that it helps American companies remain competitive in industries requiring high-level expertise, while critics claim it displaces domestic workers and suppresses wages. The Trump administration’s new visa fee represents one of the most significant financial barriers introduced to the program since its inception.
Corporate leaders have expressed concern that the new policy could strain America’s ability to attract global talent, particularly in an era where technological advancement and supply chain innovation depend heavily on skilled labor. “This could discourage employers from pursuing the best and brightest minds worldwide,” said one analyst familiar with corporate recruitment trends.
For Walmart, the current pause on extending offers to H-1B candidates is seen as a precautionary measure rather than a permanent policy. Company insiders say the decision is under review and may be adjusted once there is greater clarity on how the new visa fee will be implemented.
As industries adjust to the new immigration landscape, experts anticipate that corporations will increasingly weigh the cost-benefit of employing foreign professionals against growing domestic hiring initiatives. For now, Walmart’s move underscores the immediate impact of shifting immigration policies on America’s largest employers — and the broader uncertainty facing the global workforce.
