Why Trump Wants H-1B Skilled Worker Visas to Cost Employers More than $100,000

Trump administration plans $100,000 visa fee for high-skill foreign workers

Michigan State University doctoral students attend the university's doctoral commencement ceremony on May 5, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is planning to drastically increase the fee for hiring high-skilled foreign workers within the United States to $100,000, according to a preview of a proposed rule published Monday.  The administration noted in the Federal Register that it plans …

Why Trump wants H-1B skilled worker visas to cost employers more than $100,000

US President Donald Trump is once again trying to impose a $100,000 fee on employers seeking to hire skilled temporary foreign workers through the H-1B visa programme. But while tech titans like Elon Musk have long championed the programme as a crucial way of drawing top global talent to Silicon Valley, critics on both left and right say the scheme is largely used to replace skilled US-born workers with cheaper – and more easily controlled – for…

Trump Visa Restrictions Could Worsen Economic Strains by Cutting Labor Supply, Experts Say

Economists warn new Trump administration legal immigration restrictions, including a $103k H-1B fee and visa pauses, could harm U.S. labor, tourism, and innovation.

Trump H-1B charge tests bounds of fee-setting authority

DHS proposed the fee after a judge vacated a proclamation that slapped a six-figure charge on H-1B workers hired outside the U.S., finding it an illegal tax.

DHS Proposes New $103,265 H-1B Fee on All New Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions - Green & Spiegel

On August 25, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a $103,265 fee on all 85,000 annual H-1B cap-subject petitions, whether the worker is inside or outside of the U.S. This proposed fee would be paid at the time of filing the H-1B cap-subject petition and would be in addition to the other applicable fees. However, the fee would not apply to H-1B cap-exempt petitions, such as petitions filed by certain nonprofit research organi…