NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday released a proposed regulation to codify an unprecedented fee of more than $100,000 on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, a measure currently blocked by federal courts.
The proposed rule by the US Department of Homeland Security, posted in the Federal Register, would make a temporarily imposed fee of $103,265 permanent. If finalised by year’s end, it will dramatically raise the cost of visas heavily relied on in the tech, education and research sectors.
Before Trump’s initial order last year, these visas typically carried fees between $2,000 and $5,000. The new fee does not apply to renewals or visas granted to foreign citizens already in the United States on student visas.
A federal judge ruled in June that the fee was illegal. A Boston-based appeals court is reviewing that decision as Trump’s temporary increase nears its September expiration.
Trump and other critics argue the H-1B programme, which offers 85,000 visas annually, is abused by companies replacing American workers with cheaper foreign labour. Business groups counter the programme as needed to address domestic worker shortages and recruit top talent.
The fee faces legal challenges from the US Chamber of Commerce and Democratic-led states. They claim the Homeland Security Department cannot impose revenue-generating fees without permission from Congress.
Employers last year registered for about 344,000 H-1B visas, fewer than half of the 794,000 sought in 2023.
Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026
