Trump extends $100,000 H-1B visa fee order for another year

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has extended for another year an executive order requiring a $100,000 fee for new H-1B non-immigrant visas, the White House said on Friday, keeping in place a measure that has drawn legal challenges and concern from US businesses.

The H-1B programme allows US employers to recruit highly skilled workers from overseas, including professionals in technology and other specialised fields. The visas generally allow foreign workers to live and work in the United States for a limited period.

Trump has made the immigration system a major focus of his administration and has sought to impose tougher restrictions on the use of the H-1B programme. His administration has argued that higher costs are necessary to curb what it regards as misuse of the visa system.

The president has also called for making the substantially higher fee permanent. The previous cost of obtaining an H-1B visa was generally in the range of $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the applicable fees and circumstances.

The $100,000 charge has faced challenges in US courts, leaving its longer-term status uncertain.

A federal judge in June ruled against the administration’s higher-fee policy and blocked the government from collecting the charge. The administration has appealed that decision, and a federal appeals court in Boston is reviewing the case.

Separately, another court is considering a challenge brought by the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business lobbying organisation, over the administration’s decision to impose the higher fee.

The legal disputes have added uncertainty for companies that rely on the H-1B programme to recruit specialised workers from abroad, particularly in industries that regularly depend on international talent.

Trump’s decision to extend the order means the administration will continue pursuing the higher-fee policy while the courts consider whether the government has the authority to impose it.

Trump’s initial order for a fee hike, first released in September 2025, was set to expire this month. It did not apply to visas granted to foreign citizens already in the United States on student visas, who make up a large share of new H-1B recipients, or to renewals of current visas.

Despite criticism that some companies use the visas to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans, business groups and companies say they help recruit highly skilled professionals and address a lack of qualified US workers in some industries.

The visas, established by Congress in 1990, are especially critical for tech companies seeking to recruit from India and China.

Changes to how potential visa holders are scrutinized and processed have impacted companies’ hiring and expansion plans, with some top H-1B users, such as Google parent company Alphabet GOOGL.O, moving to increase operations in India.