The US is implementing a new H-1B visa application fee policy, sparking a stir in the tech and financial industries. However, the White House hastened to clarify that the new fee applies only to future applications and will not affect existing visa holders. This change not only affects the future of tens of thousands of foreign professionals but also impacts the global workforce of major US companies.
New fees only apply to new applications: White House scrambles to put out fire
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated in a post on X on Saturday that the upcoming $100,000 H-1B visa fee is a one-time charge that applies only to new applications and will not impose any re-entry costs on existing visa holders. She emphasized, "This is not an annual fee, but a one-time fee for each application."
What is a Petition?
A "petition" is a request made by a U.S. company to the USCIS to bring in skilled professionals from overseas. This means the costs will be borne by the company when it submits a new hiring application, rather than the annual fee that the individual visa holder must pay.
Tech giants slam on the brakes: internal notice to employees to suspend overseas travel
When the new regulations were first announced, as the details were still unclear, internal emails from several major companies, including Microsoft, JPMorgan, and Amazon, advised their H-1B employees not to leave the country for the time being to avoid being charged new fees upon returning to the United States.
Reuters also revealed that an internal memo from Goldman Sachs warned employees to "exercise extreme caution regarding international travel."
The White House revised its message, contradicting the Commerce Secretary's statement.
There was initial confusion about the policy. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Friday the new fee would be "annual," but the White House issued a statement the next day correcting that it would be a "one-time application fee."
Purpose of the fee: Balance the labor market and protect American workers
The White House said the new $100,000 fee is intended to protect American workers from being replaced by low-wage foreign talent and to level the playing field in the U.S. labor market. "This will increase the cost for businesses to use the H-1B program to prevent abuse," the statement said.
President Trump also signed a presidential proclamation directing the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security to collaborate on strengthening oversight, including inspections, enforcement, audits, and penalties. The proclamation also calls for a review of H-1B wage standards and priority review criteria to attract highly skilled, high-paying foreign talent.
Is India's IT industry the hardest hit?
Nasscom, India's information technology industry association, expressed concern about the new fee policy, believing it would have a significant impact on Indian technology companies that rely on H-1B visas to send engineers to the United States.
A document released by the White House shows that since fiscal year 2003, the proportion of H-1B holders in the US IT industry has increased from 32% to more than 65%, which has also triggered discussions about whether the country is overly dependent on foreign workers.
Special circumstances may be exempted: national interests are the premise
While the new fee will apply broadly to future H-1B petitions, the White House has stated that certain petitions may be exempt from the $100,000 fee if deemed "in the national interest." Such exceptions will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the criteria for review have not yet been clearly defined.
Hot topic on social media: Visa holders rush back to the US
Upon announcement of this policy, numerous H-1B visa holders shared panicked stories on platforms like Xiaohongshu about having to rush back to the US after landing abroad. Many comments revealed that people mistakenly believed they would also have to pay a $100,000 re-entry fee, leading to numerous overnight ticket changes and cancellations, creating a tense atmosphere.
Although the White House has clearly stated that the new fees will not affect existing visa and renewal applications, since this policy may still be further adjusted based on subsequent executive orders and regulations, it is recommended that companies and foreign employees continue to pay attention to official announcements to avoid unnecessary losses due to unclear information.
The article White House clarifies new H-1B visa rules! The new $100,000 fee applies only to new applicants, and existing holders are not affected. It first appeared on ABMedia ABMedia .
