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Dmytro Ovcharenko, CEO & Founder at Alcor and ITU Ambassador to the USA, commented to DOU on the situation with the new visas. The USA has sharply changed the rules for foreign specialists: from 1 October 2025, the cost of the H-1B working visa will be $100,000. This is the largest price increase in the entire history of the programme, which has opened the way to the American market for thousands of engineers and developers from around the world.
The official reason is the protection of the US domestic labour market. The administration of President Donald Trump stated that the new conditions are intended to limit the hiring of foreigners and incentivise companies to employ US citizens. Despite concern from the international community, Ukrainian experts view this decision not as a threat, but as a new opportunity for the development of domestic IT export.
The H-1B visa permits US companies to temporarily hire highly skilled foreign specialists in sectors requiring advanced qualifications, primarily IT, engineering, medicine, and finance. Approximately 85,000 of these visas are allocated annually. Previously, employers paid between $2,000 and $5,000 to submit a petition. The new $100,000 threshold effectively turns relocation into a luxury, thereby prioritising the domestic labour market.
While a decrease in the number of direct specialist relocations to America can be expected in the short term (6–12 months), the share of remote contracts with teams outside the US will increase instead
stated Dmytro Ovcharenko
The ITU Ambassador calls the US government’s decision “excellent news for the Ukrainian IT business.” Ovcharenko emphasises that the H-1B price increase will force US companies to re-evaluate their offshore strategies and collaborate more actively with teams from Ukraine. According to the analytical agency ISG, this trend is projected to intensify over the next 12 months.
Experts believe this step could boost demand from US businesses for outsourcing services — primarily from countries with strong IT ecosystems and cultural compatibility with the West. In this context, Ukraine remains one of the most attractive partners in Eastern Europe.
Dmytro Ovcharenko stresses that Ukrainians have a number of viable alternatives. For example, young specialists can start their careers through educational programmes such as the F-1 visa with the subsequent opportunity to work under the OPT programme, or the J-1 visa for internships. Furthermore, according to him, premium options exist for top specialists, although this is a narrower segment.
However, there are also obstacles. Firstly, for Ukrainian companies focused on Western clients, cooperation with China may conflict with sanctions compliance requirements and internal policies. Practical barriers include:
Therefore, the H-1B price increase is not so much a defence of the US labour market as it is a stimulus for the development of global outsourcing. Under these conditions, Ukraine, with its cultural compatibility and high data protection standards, gains a clear advantage over riskier alternatives.
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