Trump administration pitches $103,265 fee for H-1B visas

Aug. 24 (UPI) — The Trump administration proposed a new rule on Monday to charge employers a $103,265 fee for hiring workers through the H-1B visa program.

The fee plan was filed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and as proposed it would add a fee to all petitions for H-1B workers. The revenue generated through these fees would be used for the U.S. immigration system, including $1 billion in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Discussions in Congress over a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security have been held up for months over ICE funding as agents have killed U.S. citizens and subjects of investigations during broad immigration sweeps this year.

President Donald Trump attempted to institute a similar measure last year in a proclamation enacting a $100,000 entry fee for H-1B visa recipients. A federal judge ruled that the fee imposed an unlawful tax without congressional approval. The Trump administration appealed this ruling but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the bid to revive the proclamation.

The Trump administration says the new proposal would make employers “less likely to hire an H-1B worker over a qualified and highly-skilled American.” The fee would also apply to H-1B recipients who hold master’s degrees.

The Trump administration estimates that the plan would generate about $3 billion in annual revenue, which could be used to hire more than 8,400 employees, including the addition of more immigration court judges.

Amazon is among the U.S. companies that most frequently hires foreign candidates through the H-1B program. It had more than 9,300 H-1B petitions approved in fiscal year 2026 which ended on June 30.