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Rural Hardin, Montana leans on international teachers like Maria Cristina Tomimbang, a veteran middle school math instructor, to keep classrooms open. But a new Trump proposal to charge employers $100,000 for each H-1B visa—and a separate plan to favor the highest earners—could upend that lifeline. Superintendent Tobin Novasio says the district can’t afford the fee and already struggles to recruit. With many teachers on short-term J1 visas, hopes to shift them to longer H-1Bs now look untenable, despite White House assurances and advocates seeking exemptions.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.