A clarification has been issued by the United States concerning its new H-1B visa policy. The $100,000 fee for skilled workers will be charged per petition and will not be applicable to current visa holders.
This announcement follows comments made by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who initially stated that the fee would be paid annually and would apply to both new visa applicants and renewals.
Following Lutnick’s statement, major tech firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, advised their H1-B visa-holding employees to either remain in the country or return quickly.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that the fee would apply only to new visas, and did not affect current visa holders’ ability to travel in and out of the US.
The executive order introducing the new fee was signed by President Donald Trump and is set to take effect on Sunday. It will expire after one year, but could be extended if deemed beneficial to the US.
H-1B visas enable companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills, primarily in fields like science, engineering, and computer programming. The majority of these visas are held by Indian nationals and are distributed through a lottery system.
Critics argue that the H-1B program undercuts American workers by bringing in foreign workers willing to work for lower salaries. India’s Ministry of External Affairs expressed concern about the potential disruption caused to families and the impact on the Indian industry.
The US Chamber of Commerce also expressed worry about the impact on employees, their families, and American employers, and is working with authorities to understand the full implications.
This has caused confusion among H-1B visa holders, with many rushing to return to the US before the fee takes effect, some even de-boarding planes they were about to take. An immigration lawyer noted that the new order sends the wrong message to talented workers abroad, potentially negatively impacting the US’s reputation as a destination for global talent.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/21/us-says-100000-fee-for-h-1b-visas-will-not-apply-to-existing-holders?traffic_source=rss
