US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will add a $100,000 (£74,000) annual fee for applicants to the H-1B visa programme for skilled foreign workers.

Trump’s order mentions “abuse” of the programme and will restrict entry unless payment is made.

Critics have long argued that H-1Bs undercut the American workforce, while supporters – including billionaire Elon Musk – argue it allows the US to attract top talent from around the world.

In another order, Trump set up a new “gold card” to fast-track visas for certain immigrants in exchange for fees starting at £1m.

Trump’s order is due to come into force on 21 September. It would only apply to new requests, but companies would have to pay the same amount for each applicant for six years, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.

“The company needs to decide… is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home, and they should go hire an American,” he said, adding: “All of the big companies are on board.”

Since 2004, the number of H-1B applications has been capped at 85,000 per year.

Until now, H-1B visas have carried various administrative fees totalling around $1,500.

Data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows that applications for H-1B visas for the next fiscal year fell to about 359,000 – a four-year low.

The greatest beneficiary of the programme the previous fiscal year was Amazon, followed by tech giants Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google, according to government statistics.

Late on Friday, Amazon told employees with H-1B visas who were already in the US to remain there.

According to an internal advisory, seen by Business Insider, the company said those abroad should “try to return before tomorrow’s deadline if possible”.

Anyone unable to make it back before the order takes effect should avoid attempting US re-entry “until further guidance is provided”, the company is also quoted as saying.

Tahmina Watson, a founding attorney at Watson Immigration Law, told the BBC that the ruling could be a “nail in the coffin” for many of her clients that are mostly small businesses and start-ups.

“Almost everyone’s going to be priced out. This $100,000 as an entry point is going to have a devastating impact,” she added, noting that many small or medium-sized companies “will tell you they actually can’t find workers to do the job”.

“When employers sponsor foreign talent, more often than not, they’re doing that because they have not been able to fulfil those positions,” Ms Watson added.

Jorge Lopez, the chair of the immigration and global mobility practice group at Littler Mendelson PC, said a $100,000 fee “will put the brakes on American competitiveness in the tech sector and all industries”.

Some companies might consider setting up operations outside the US, though doing so can be challenging in practice, he added.

The debate over H-1Bs had previously caused splits within Trump’s team and supporters, pitting those in favour of the visas against critics such as former strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump told reporters at the White House in January that he understands “both sides of the argument” on H-1Bs.

The year before – while seeking to attract support from the tech industry while on the campaign trail – Trump vowed to make the process of attracting talent easier, going as far as to propose green cards for college graduates.

“You need a pool of people to work for companies,” he told the All-In Podcast. “You have to be able to recruit these people and keep these people.”

Early in his first term in 2017, Trump signed an executive order that increased scrutiny of H-1B applications, seeking to improve fraud detection.

Rejections rose to an all-time high of 24% in the 2018 fiscal year, compared to between 5% and 8% under Barack Obama and then between 2% and 4% under Joe Biden.

At the time, tech companies pushed back, harshly criticising the Trump administration’s H-1B order.

The potential for additional restrictions to the H-1B programme has caused considerable concern in countries such as India – which is by far the largest source country for such visa applications.

The first-ever treaty to protect marine diversity in international waters will come into force early next year, after it was ratified by the 60th nation, Morocco.

Morocco’s formal adoption of the Marine Biodiversity Treaty on Friday means the agreement will now enter into force on January 17, 2026, offering new protections to an area covering two-thirds of the world’s oceans and as many as 10 million different species, many of which are still unidentified.

Countries have rushed to ratify the treaty as the world’s oceans face growing threats, including from climate change, over-fishing and deep-sea mining, which United States President Donald Trump has pledged to help jumpstart in international waters.

Morocco’s Mission to the United Nations said in a statement that the entry into force of the treaty marked a “milestone for the protection of the ocean” and “collective commitment” to protecting “marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction”.

Commending the governments that have ratified the treaty so far, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as “a lifeline for the ocean and humanity” from problems including “climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution”.

“Covering more than two-thirds of the ocean, the agreement sets binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity, share benefits more fairly, create protected areas, and advance science and capacity-building,” Guterres said, urging the governments that had yet to join to do so without delay.

In addition to the 60 countries that have fully ratified the treaty, a further 122 countries, as well as the European Union, have signed the agreement, signalling their intention to ratify.

True test lies ahead

Leneka Rhoden, the Caribbean Regional Coordinator at the High Seas Alliance, says the “true test” of the treaty now “lies ahead in implementation”.

“Our communities already experience the impacts of climate change and ocean degradation, and we depend directly on healthy marine ecosystems for food security, livelihoods, and cultural identity,” Rhoden said in a statement.

“We are confident that this agreement will deliver on its promise of real protection on the water, fair access to resources, and resilience for the most vulnerable,” she added.

The treaty does not create a punitive enforcement body of its own. Instead, it largely relies on individual countries to regulate their own ships and companies. If a ship flying a German flag violates the rules, for example, it’s Germany’s responsibility to act, said Torsten Thiele, founder of the Global Ocean Trust and an adviser on ocean governance and blue finance. That makes universal ratification essential, he said.

“If somebody hasn’t signed up, they’ll argue they’re not bound,” he said.

What are the High Seas?

The treaty covers international waters that fall outside any single country’s exclusive economic zone and account for nearly two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half of Earth’s surface.

It also covers what is known as “the Area”, shorthand for seabed and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. That comprises just more than half of the planet’s seabed.

Now that the treaty is law, a decision-making body, a Conference of the Parties (COP), will have to work with regional and global organisations that already oversee different aspects of the oceans, such as the International Seabed Authority.

Deep-Sea mining risks

One aspect of the Marine Biodiversity Treaty is to ensure that countries can work towards more fair and equitable sharing of benefits from activities related to marine biodiversity beyond the borders of any one nation, as a handful of governments and companies push to rapidly expand deep-sea mining.

Environmentalists say the potential consequences of dredging the ocean floor used to extract deep-sea minerals are difficult to calculate and range from endangering ancient lifeforms like dumbo octopuses and twilight zone corals to causing further distress to whales by distorting their sonar communication.

At least 38 countries are calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining until more is known about its potential harm to marine ecosystems, including those which have yet to be explored.

They include island states like the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu, as well as bigger countries like Brazil and the United Kingdom, while other countries, including the US under Trump, and the small Pacific island nation of Nauru, want to press ahead.

International efforts continue

The Marine Biodiversity Treaty is the latest example of continued efforts to combat environmental threats at the global level, despite pushback from some governments.

Earlier this year, countries at the UN shipping agency struck a deal on a global fuel emissions standard for the maritime sector, which will impose an emissions fee on dirty fuels and reward vessels that reduce their emissions.

The deal was reached after the US pulled out of the climate talks at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London and threatened to impose “reciprocal measures” against any fees charged to US ships.

In August, global talks to develop a landmark treaty to tackle plastic pollution failed to reach an agreement, amid deadlock at the sixth round of talks in under three years.

But in July, the UN’s highest court found that countries must meet their climate obligations, and that failing to do so could violate international law, potentially opening the door for affected nations to seek reparations in future legal cases.

Vanuatu’s minister for climate change, Ralph Regenvanu, who led the case at the International Court of Justice, reacted to the Marine Biodiversity Treaty entering into force, saying: “Everything that affects the ocean affects us.”

A global agreement designed to protect the world’s oceans and reverse damage to marine life is set to become international law.

The High Seas Treaty received its 60th ratification by Morocco on Friday, meaning that it will now take effect from January.

The deal, which has been two decades in the making, will pave the way for international waters to be placed into marine protected areas.

Environmentalists heralded the milestone as a “monumental achievement” and evidence that countries can work together for environmental protection.

“Covering more than two-thirds of the ocean, the agreement sets binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Decades of overfishing, pollution from shipping and warming oceans from climate change have damaged life below the surface.

In the latest assessment of marine species, nearly 10% were found to be at risk of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Three years ago countries agreed that 30% of the world’s national and international waters – high seas – must be protected by 2030 to help depleted marine life recover.

But protecting the high seas is challenging. No one country controls these waters and all nations have a right to ship and fish there.

Currently just 1% of the high seas are protected, leaving marine life at risk from overexploitation.

So, in 2023 countries signed the High Seas Treaty pledging to put 30% of these waters into Marine Protected Areas.

But it was only able to enter force if more than 60 nations ratified it – meaning they agreed to be legally bound by it.

With many nations requiring parliament approval, ratification can often take more than five years, Elizabeth Wilson, senior director for environmental policy at environmental NGO The Pews Charitable Trust, told the BBC at the UN Oceans Conference earlier this year. She said this was “record time”.

The UK introduced its bill for ratification to Parliament earlier this month.

Kirsten Schuijt, director general of WWF International, hailed “a monumental achievement for ocean conservation” after the treaty threshold was reached.

She added: “The High Seas Treaty will be a positive catalyst for collaboration across international waters and agreements and is a turning point for two-thirds of the world’s ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction.”

Mads Christensen, executive director of Greenpeace International, called it “a landmark moment” and “proof that countries can come together to protect our blue planet”.

“The era of exploitation and destruction must end. Our oceans can’t wait and neither can we,” he added.

Once the treaty comes into force, countries will propose areas to be protected, and these will then be voted on by the countries that sign up to the treaty.

Critics point out that countries will conduct their own environmental impact assessments (EIA) and make the final decision – although other countries can register concerns with the monitoring bodies.

The ocean is crucial for the survival of all organisms on the planet. It is the largest ecosystem, is estimated to contribute $2.5 trillion to world economies, and provides up to 80% of the oxygen we breathe.

Nine other countries, including France and the UK, also plan to recognise Palestinian statehood next week.

Portugal has joined Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom in announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

In a statement on Friday, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the recognition will take place on Sunday, a day before a high-level conference on Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that Portugal will recognise the State of Palestine,” the ministry wrote in a statement on its website.

“The Official Declaration of Recognition will take place on Sunday, September 21st, before next week’s High-Level Conference,” the statement added.

According to Portugal’s Correio da Manha newspaper, the country’s centre-right Prime Minister Luis Montenegro consulted with the president and parliament before finalising the decision.

It marked the end of nearly 15 years of debate in the Western European country’s parliament, Correio da Manha reported, after the proposal was first put forward by the country’s Left Bloc political party in 2011.

Global outcry

Portugal’s announcement comes days after a landmark UN inquiry found that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to a genocide.

At least 65,141 people have been killed and 165,925 wounded since Israel’s onslaught began in October 2023. Many thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble.

The Portuguese government first announced its intentions on recognising Palestine as a state in July, citing “extremely worrying evolution of the conflict”, as well as the humanitarian crisis and Israel’s repeated threats to annex Palestinian land.

Earlier on Friday, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said that Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino plan to recognise the State of Palestine alongside France at the high-level meeting it is co-organising with Saudi Arabia in New York on Monday.

Canada and the United Kingdom have also said they intend to do the same.

They will join some 147 countries, representing 75 percent of UN members, that had already recognised Palestinian statehood as of April this year.

Portugal was also among 145 countries which voted on Friday to create an option for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the UNGA in New York next week by video, after the United States denied him a visa.

Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, as well as Israel and the US, were the five countries that voted no, while six countries abstained.

Israel and the US have strongly criticised countries moving to recognise Palestine, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing France’s announcement as a “reckless decision” that “only serves Hamas propaganda”.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned last year that a new illegal Israeli settlement would be established in the occupied West Bank for every country that recognises Palestine.

Luxembourg considers sanctions

Earlier this week, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told a parliamentary commission that their country intends to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UNGA.

Bettel also said that he would propose a bill to parliament so that Luxembourg could take further measures, such as sanctions, according to the country’s broadcaster RTL Letzebuerg.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, has implored countries to take more measures to end Israel’s war on Gaza, including by imposing sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel.

Under its 1947 plan to partition Palestine, the UNGA said it would grant 45 percent of the land to an Arab state.

At the time, the UNGA had just 57 member states, with dozens of countries under colonial rule unable to vote.