Politics
Trump administration proposes formalizing $103,265 fee for H-1B work visas
The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule to permanently increase costs for skilled foreign worker visas, following legal challenges to a temporary fee.
The short version
- The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule setting a permanent $103,265 fee for H-1B skilled worker visas.
- The proposed rule replaces a temporary $100,000 fee that was blocked by a federal judge and is currently subject to a 30-day public comment period.
- Business groups, labor unions, and Democratic-led states contend the executive branch lacks congressional authority to establish revenue-generating visa fees.
Key facts
- The Trump administration published a rule in the Federal Register seeking to formalize a $103,265 fee for H-1B visa applications.[Al Jazeera]
- The proposed DHS rule initiates a 30-day public comment period before it can be finalized.[Al Jazeera]
- A federal judge previously struck down the administration's temporary $100,000 H-1B fee, a decision currently under review by an appeals court in Boston.[Al Jazeera]
- The standard H-1B visa program offers 65,000 visas annually, with an additional 20,000 set aside for foreign workers holding advanced degrees.[Al Jazeera]
- Employer registrations for H-1B visas dropped to approximately 344,000 last year, down from 794,000 in 2023.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- It remains uncertain whether federal courts will allow the new fee rule to take effect if finalized, as existing lawsuits argue the administration lacks authority from Congress to impose such fees.[Al Jazeera]