The White House on Saturday clarified that the newly introduced $100,000 H-1B visa fee in the United States will apply only to new petitions and not to existing H-1B visa holders re-entering the country. The changes came into effect early Saturday morning.
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation introducing the $100,000 fee, sparking widespread confusion and concern among visa holders, particularly Indians, who account for over 70% of H-1B recipients.
Initially, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested the fee might be charged annually, but the White House later corrected this.
“This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt clarified in a post on X.
Leavitt further stressed that current H-1B visa holders outside the US would not be charged the $100,000 fee when re-entering. “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country as they normally would, and the new fee will only apply in the next H-1B lottery round and not to current visa holders or renewals,” she said.
A White House fact sheet also noted that the government may waive the $100,000 fee “if in the national interest.”
Meanwhile, the Indian government expressed humanitarian concern, warning that the move would sharply increase the cost of visas for tech workers from India and other countries.
H-1B Visa Fees: Key Points
- Petition invalid without fee: Under the proclamation titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, new H-1B visa petitions must include the $100,000 fee to be considered valid. Petitions without payment will be denied, and foreign workers linked to sponsoring companies will be prohibited from entering the US.
- Trump cites misuse: President Trump described the alleged misuse of the H-1B visa system as a “national security threat,” citing law enforcement investigations into outsourcing firms that rely heavily on the program.
- Companies issue advisory: Tech firms and banks, including Microsoft, Alphabet Inc., Meta, JPMorgan, and Amazon, urged employees to return to the US before 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday (4:01 a.m. GMT) and avoid international travel. Goldman Sachs also issued a memo advising caution.
- Level-playing field: The administration said the fee was intended to “level the playing field for American workers,” claiming that local employees were being replaced with “lower-paid foreign labor.”
- Panic among visa holders: Panic spread among H-1B visa holders from India and China, with many canceling travel plans and rushing back to the US following the announcement.
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