Trump team seeks to lock in $103,265 H-1B fee
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
The Trump administration is moving to write a $103,265 fee for new H-1B work visas into a formal rule after a federal judge blocked its earlier temporary version. The H-1B programme is used by US employers to hire highly skilled foreign workers, with 65,000 regular annual slots and another 20,000 reserved for people with master's or doctoral degrees. Before the fee increase, H-1B application costs were typically about $2,000 to $5,000, meaning the proposed charge would represent an unprecedented jump. The Department of Homeland Security published the proposal in the Federal Register on August 24, with formal publication on August 25 starting a 30-day public consultation period
Key Points
- The proposed $103,265 charge would apply to new H-1B visas, but not to renewals or to foreign nationals already in the US on student visas who switch to H-1B status
- Official data for fiscal 2025 showed 70% of H-1B workers came from India, followed by China at 12%, then the Philippines, Canada and South Korea
- Trump and other critics argue companies abuse H-1B to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labour, while business groups say the visa fills hard-to-staff specialist roles
- Amazon was identified as the largest H-1B employer, with more than 9,000 approved related visas in fiscal 2026; past H-1B holders include Elon Musk and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai
- The administration first imposed the fee temporarily last year, and by the end of February about 70 companies had paid roughly $100,000 for 85 visa applications
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the proposal points to a much costlier and less predictable route into the US for professionals seeking employer-sponsored work visas, especially in technology, education and research. It also matters to companies in Asia that recruit or transfer talent to the US, because a permanent six-figure fee could reshape hiring plans and where firms choose to place skilled staff