New Delhi: The Donald Trump-led administration in the US plans to hike the H-1B visa fee to beyond $100,000.
The proposed fee of $103,265 fee by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been posted online in the Federal Register on Monday, and there will be a 30-day public comment period. The rule could be formalised by the end of this year, Reuters reported.
The new H-1B visa fee could significantly increase the cost of hiring highly-skilled foreign workers and have a major impact on Indian professionals, who account for the largest share of H-1B beneficiaries.
Indian-born workers accounted for about 71 per cent of H-1B beneficiaries among petitions approved by US Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2024.
Before the Trump administration’s earlier fee increase, H-1B related charges ranged from around $2,000 to $5,000.
The proposed fee will apply to new H-1B visas, but won’t apply to foreign nationals already in the US on student visas and will later transition to H-1B status. It will also not apply to renewals of existing H-1B visas.
The H-1B programme allows American employers to hire foreign workers in specialised occupations. The US provides 65,000 visas annually, along with an additional 20,000 visas for foreign workers holding advanced US degrees.
Visas are generally issued for three to six years.
According to the Trump administration, the H-1B programme has been misused by some companies to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees. However, business groups have maintained that the programme is important at it addresses shortage of skilled workers and helps US companies recruit specialised talent.
The government is facing legal challenges over its earlier $100,000 H-1B charge. In June, a federal judge ruled that the fee was unlawful and blocked its collection. Appeals over that decision are still pending.
The latest proposal may face fresh legal challenges once it is finalised.