Trump's $100K H-1B Visa Fee Takes Effect On Sunday - Here's Who Gets Hit, Who Is Exempt

2025-09-20 09:00:36

(MENAFN- Live Mint) President Donald Trump's latest immigration plan has sparked confusion among immigrant workers. Following which, the White House went on to clarify that the new $100,000 visa fee applies only to new applicants, not current H-1B holders.

The president on Friday, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick by his side, signed a proclamation that will require the new fee for what are known as H-1B visas - meant for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find hard to fill.

However there was no clarifiction around to whom it applies to and owing to which, many companies including Microsoft, JPMorgan , and Amazon, had responded by advising employees holding H-1B visas to remain in the United States. The tech giants also asked H-1B holders who were currently outside the country to re-enter the US by September 21.

The fee takes effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday. It is scheduled to expire after a year. But it could be extended if the government determines that is in the interest of the United States to keep it.

Who are exempt?

The White House in a social media post clarified that the fee only applies to new applicant and“does not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the United States”

“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," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a posting on X.“This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.”

Apart from that, the Trump's proclamation also allows for case-by-case exemptions if in the national interest. This allows a potential window for certain companies or industries to seek a workaround from the new fee.

The move is the latest immigration reform by the Trump administration and will affect the technology industry in particular, as it relies heavily on H-1Bs. The administration argues that the revisions will bring more certainty to legitimate filings under the program by weeding out abuses.

(With inputs from AP, Reuters and Bloomberg)

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