Washington: The United States has introduced a $100,000 (£79,000) fee for H-1B visa petitions, but the White House has clarified that the measure will not affect existing visa holders or renewals. The fee has taken effect from September 21 and will only apply to fresh petitions filed in the upcoming H-1B lottery round.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the fee is not an annual charge but a one-time requirement linked to new petitions. Leavitt added that individuals holding valid H-1B visas who are temporarily outside the United States will not be asked to pay the $100,000 (£79,000) fee to re-enter the country.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had earlier suggested the fee could be annual, but the clarification from the administration has dispelled concerns for current workers. Despite this, internal communications at major corporations such as Microsoft, JPMorgan, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs have advised employees with H-1B status to exercise caution when travelling internationally.
According to the White House, the new rule has been introduced to create what it described as a fairer playing field for American workers. The administration said that some US employees have been displaced by lower-paid foreign labour under the existing H-1B framework.
To be clear:
1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.
2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter.
H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) September 20, 2025
The executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday night allows exemptions on a case-by-case basis if the application is deemed to be in the national interest. A fact sheet distributed by the White House highlighted that the share of IT workers employed under H-1B visas has grown from 32 percent in FY 2003 to more than 65 percent in recent years.
The order also directs the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to strengthen compliance, with new rules on verification, enforcement, audits, and penalties. The Labor Secretary has been tasked with revising the prevailing wage levels for the H-1B programme, with a stated aim of prioritising high-paid and high-skilled professionals.
The announcement has caused unease among Indian technology firms that rely heavily on H-1B visas for staffing projects in the US. Nasscom, India’s IT industry body, said that the steep fee could significantly disrupt global operations of firms deploying skilled talent overseas.
Meanwhile, reports from social platforms have suggested that some H-1B holders rushed back to the United States fearing they would be impacted by the $100,000 (£79,000) levy, though the White House has stressed that current visas remain valid without additional fees.
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