H1-B Visa Fee: Who is exempt from Trump’s new $100k mandate | Details
US President Donald Trump’s new fee for H1-B visas has caused many immigrants and tech companies that rely on foreign skilled workers to panic. With the new proclamation, the White House has issued an official clarification regarding the new fees, including who is exempt from the rule and those who are not.
On Friday, President Trump signed a proclamation to raise the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 annually — up from $1,000–5,000 — as part of the latest effort in the administration’s crackdown on immigration(File/REUTERS)
On Friday, President Trump signed a proclamation to raise the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 annually — up from $1,000–5,000 — as part of the latest effort in the administration’s crackdown on immigration. Follow LIVE updates on H-1B visa news
White House clarifies new rule
White House has officially clarified that anyone who is currently an H-1B visa holder will not be impacted by the new $100k mandate.
“The Proclamation does not apply to anyone who has a current visa,” wrote the Rapid Responses page on X, adding that the proclamation only applies to future “applicants in the February lottery who are currently outside the US.”
The proclamation will also not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the United States.
Speaking to the New York Times, a White House official had earlier clarified that the new H-1B visa fee mandate will apply to new applicants only. Based on this statement, immigrants already on a work visa in the US and those up for renewals will be exempt from this $100,000 fees.
“The H-1B fee is likely to face legal challenges. But if it survives, companies that hire skilled international workers would have to pay USD 100,000 each year for any employee working on the visa, for up to six years,” the White House official was told NYT.
Also Read | ‘Humanitarian consequences’: What India said on Trump’s $100k H-1B visa fee
“The fee applies only to new applicants,” the official added further.
Who is exempt?
While the rules of the new visa fee are yet to be set in, certain exemptions such as in the field of healthcare and first responders is expected. However, no clear layout has been presented from the White House.
Renewals of H-1B visas will also be exempted from this mandate. Speaking to Bloomberg, a White House official clarified that the new fee will only affect new visas — not renewals or current visa holders — and will be applicable for applications in the upcoming lottery cycle.
Clarifying to HT, a US official also added that H-1B holders who are outside the US do not need to rush back by Sunday, when the new rule kicks in, as they won’t be impacted or be asked to pay $100,000 to re-enter the country.
As of now, the order, signed by Trump, will remain valid for the next 12 months. After this “trial period” and the H-1B visa lottery, a new decision will be taken on the continuation of the proclamation.
