United States of America

Trump Admin Proposes $103K Fee on H-1B Visa Petitions

Is the H-1B fee a smart fix that protects American workers or a reckless assault on U.S. innovation?

Published 5 days ago

Trump Admin Proposes $103K Fee on H-1B Visa Petitions

story

Above: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Salt Lake City, Utah. Image credit: Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

A $103,265 fee on H-1B petitions is what American workers need, as employers have been gaming the system for years, paying foreign workers 16% less than comparable American workers and locking U.S. talent out of high-skill jobs. The fee pushes companies to think twice before bypassing American workers and forces the H-1B program to actually fund the government infrastructure it depends on. This is smart policy that protects wages and makes the system pay for itself.

Markwayne Mullin on U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Rick Scott on X

Establishment-critical narrative

Slapping a $103,265 fee on H-1B petitions — stacked on top of existing fees and a separate $100,000 proclamation fee — is a wrecking ball aimed at the skilled-worker pipeline American innovation depends on. The legal authority behind the fee is shaky, since USCIS proposes funneling most of the money to entirely separate agencies. Piling on a potential $100,000 OPT fee makes this a full-scale assault on the talent that keeps U.S. companies globally competitive.

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)The Times of India

Adrian Pandev on X