Trump proposes $103,000 H-1B fee after court struck down earlier attempt

A federal court struck down the Trump administration's first attempt to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas in June. On Monday, the administration announced a new regulatory proposal designed to achieve the same outcome through a different legal route.

The revised fee would sit at roughly $103,000 per sponsored candidate and would apply to almost any new H-1B applicant, including those already inside the United States — a broader scope than the earlier initiative, which covered only applicants outside the country.

The administration has framed the levy as a financing mechanism for its wider immigration enforcement program. By routing it through formal rulemaking rather than executive action, it aims to address the procedural grounds on which the earlier fee was overturned.

H-1B visas are the primary channel through which US technology and professional services firms hire skilled foreign workers. A fee at this level would materially raise the cost of each sponsorship, with the burden falling on employers rather than visa holders.