Trump administration moves to impose more than $100,000 fee for H-1B worker visas
The Trump administration has proposed a new regulation to codify a $103,265 fee for H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. This move follows a previous attempt to implement the fee that was blocked by federal courts.
Why it matters
This policy significantly impacts the tech and research sectors by drastically increasing the cost of hiring international talent, potentially altering U.S. immigration and labor dynamics.
President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday (August 24, 2026) released a proposed regulation to codify an unprecedented fee of more than $100,000 on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. Mr. Trump first imposed this last year but was blocked by the courts.
The fee first imposed by Mr. Trump in a temporary proclamation last year vastly raises the cost of the visas that are heavily relied on in the tech, education and research sectors.
A federal judge in June ruled that the fee was illegal and blocked the Trump administration from collecting it. A Boston-based appeals court is reviewing that decision while a different court considers whether a judge in Washington, D.C. properly rejected a challenge to the fee by a major business group.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in