Picture this: You’re a U.S. CTO with a product roadmap that’s bursting at the seams. You’ve finally found the AI engineer who could take your platform to the next level — but bringing them in on an H-1B visa now costs $100,000 per petition (effective September 21, 2025).
That’s before salary, relocation, and legal expenses. Suddenly, your “dream hire” becomes a budget-buster.
This is the reality for many companies right now. And it’s forcing a rethink: is H-1B still the best path to accessing global talent?
What Smart Companies Are Doing
We’ve seen three common pivots in recent months:
- Shifting to outsourcing – Instead of paying for visas, companies are building remote engineering hubs.
- Testing with staff augmentation first – A trial engagement with an Eastern European team before committing long-term.
- Blending in-house + outsourced talent – Keeping core IP in-house while outsourcing specialized or overflow work.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re testing outsourcing for the first time, start with a clearly defined project (e.g., a new feature or module). This helps evaluate technical quality and collaboration style before scaling.
Real-World Stories
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A fintech in New York planned to bring in 4 data engineers on H-1B. After the new fee announcement, they shifted strategy — and built a dedicated Eastern European data team in 6 weeks. They cut costs by nearly 40% and avoided months of visa delays.
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A healthtech startup in Boston needed niche blockchain expertise. They tried hiring locally but lost out to FAANG-level salaries. Through an Eastern European partner, they found two senior engineers who now lead the blockchain layer of their product.
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A SaaS company in San Francisco used a hybrid approach: they outsourced QA and DevOps to Poland, freeing their U.S. engineers to focus on core product features. Productivity jumped without extra headcount.
Why Eastern Europe Works
- Cost savings – Up to 50% cheaper than U.S. salaries, without the $100K visa fee.
- Massive talent pool – Over 1.3–1.75 million engineers, many specializing in AI, cloud, and blockchain.
- Cultural compatibility – Business practices and communication styles align closely with Western teams.
- Time zone overlap – 3–6 hours shared with U.S. East Coast teams means faster iterations and real-time feedback.
Bottom Line
The new $100K H-1B fee is a roadblock — but it’s also an opportunity to rethink how you scale. Outsourcing to Eastern Europe lets you access world-class engineering talent, speed up delivery, and protect your budget.
How Kodevent Can Help
At Kodevent, we help U.S. companies build dedicated engineering teams in Eastern Europe that feel like part of their own. Whether you’re exploring staff augmentation or ready to scale a full team, we’ll guide you through every step.
👉 Want to see how companies like yours are navigating the new H-1B reality?
Schedule Your Free Consultation → — and we’ll share real-world strategies that work.
