WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration announced a significant increase to the H-1B visa fee, raising it to a flat $100,000 for new applicants. The fee, which previously ranged from $2,000 to $5,000, will be implemented in the upcoming lottery cycle, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The change applies only to new H-1B visa applicants, not renewals or current visa holders. Leavitt clarified that the $100,000 is a one-time payment, correcting an earlier statement from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who had suggested it would be an annual charge. Exceptions can be made for immigrants deemed essential to national interest by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The new fee requires employers to have documentation of the payment before filing an H-1B petition. Companies, particularly in the tech and finance sectors, are scrambling to respond to the change. H-1B visas are designed for highly skilled foreign professionals in specialty occupations, especially in STEM fields, when qualified American workers cannot be found. Last year, the majority of H-1B visa holders were from India and China. The annual cap for H-1B visas is 85,000.
