USD 100,000 Fee To Apply For New H-1B Petitions After Sep 21: USCIS

New York/Washington- All new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery, will require payment of the USD 100,000 fee, as announced by President Donald Trump in a recent proclamation, the US government has said.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a 'H-1B FAQ' document, released on Sunday, said that the September 19 proclamation took an“important, initial, and incremental step” to reform the H-1B visa programme to curb abuses and protect American workers.

The proclamation“requires a $100,000 payment to accompany any new H-1B visa petitions submitted after 12:01 am eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025,” the FAQ document said.

This includes applications for the 2026 lottery and any other new H-1B filings beyond that date, it added.

USCIS had earlier said in a statement on Saturday that the fee would apply only to new, prospective petitions that had not yet been filed, but had not specified the exact date and time when the rule would take effect.

A White House official had told PTI that the $100,000 fee will“first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle.”

The USD 100,000 fee is a one-time fee on submission of a new H-1B petition.

USCIS further clarified that the fee does not apply to any petitions filed before the 12:01 am deadline on Sept 21, previously issued H-1B visas, renewal petitions, and H-1B holders re-entering the US.

The proclamation also authorises the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS) to coordinate implementation steps, the FAQ document said.

MENAFN22092025000215011059ID1110091668