'Chilling effect:' West Michigan employers worried by changing visa guidelines

'Chilling effect:' West Michigan employers worried by changing visa guidelines

A Sept. 19 presidential order increased the cost of the H-1B — a temporary, nonimmigrant visa designed to bring people with “specialty occupations” to the U.S. — petition fee from an average of $2,000 to $5,000 depending on the size of an employer to a flat fee of $100,000 for most new applicants applying from outside the country.