Finance
In a significant relief to foreign workers on H-1B visas, the US Department of Homeland Security has issued revised guidance on the $100,000 application cost, which includes a number of exemptions and carveouts.
The US clarifies the $100,000 H-1B visa cost, exempting current visa holders.
Washington, Oct 21 (IANS) In a significant relief to foreign workers on H-1B visas, the US Department of Homeland Security has announced updated guidance on the $100,000 application cost, which includes a number of exclusions and carveouts.
According to the new standards, workers who transition from other visa categories, such as F-1 student status, will not be liable to the $100,000 charge.
H-1B workers filing for an amendment, change of status, or extension of stay in the United States will not be liable to the high fee. Furthermore, current H-1B visa holders will not be barred from entering or departing the United States.
The proclamation solely applies to new visa petitions from outside the United States that do not hold a valid H-1B visa. It also included an online payment link for new applicants.
The explanation comes only two days after the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business organization, sued the Trump administration over the new rules, calling them “unlawful.”
In a lawsuit filed in the district court in Washington on Thursday, the plaintiff argued that the visa fee, if implemented, will “inflict significant harm on American businesses” and force them to “either dramatically increase their labour costs or hire fewer highly skilled employees for whom domestic replacements are not readily available.”
It added that Trump’s September 19 proclamation was “plainly unlawful” and a “boon to America’s economic rivals.”
It was the second major domestic judicial challenge to the Trump administration’s new H-1B limits, following a lawsuit filed on October 3 by unions, education professionals, and religious entities.
While signing the proclamation in September, Trump had said the “incentive is to hire American workers.”
The proclamation sparked widespread confusion because it appeared to affect current H-1B visa holders, who may encounter difficulties in returning to the United States.
The White House clarified to IANS on September 20 that this is a “one-time fee” that only applies to new visas, not renewals or current visa holders.
India-born workers received more than 70% of all authorized H1-B visas in 2024, owing to a massive backlog of applications and a large number of skilled immigrants from India.
Source: IANS
