US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday proposed making permanent a fee of more than $100,000 for certain new H-1B visas, reviving a controversial measure that has faced legal challenges in federal courts.
The Department of Homeland Security proposed setting the fee at $103,265, substantially increasing the cost of obtaining visas widely used by US employers in the technology, education and research sectors.
Trump initially introduced the higher fee last year as a temporary measure. However, a federal judge ruled in June that the administration lacked legal authority to impose it and blocked the government from collecting the fee.
That ruling is now being reviewed by a Boston-based federal appeals court, while a separate legal challenge brought by a major business group is also proceeding.
The temporary fee is scheduled to expire in September, one year after its introduction. The new DHS proposal, published in the Federal Register, would make the higher charge permanent and could be finalised before the end of the year.
The H-1B programme allows US employers to recruit foreign workers in specialised occupations, with 65,000 visas generally available annually and another 20,000 reserved for applicants with advanced degrees.
Before Trump’s changes, H-1B-related fees typically ranged from around $2,000 to $5,000.
The proposed $103,265 fee would not apply to foreign nationals already in the United States on student visas who subsequently obtain H-1B status, nor would it apply to renewals of existing H-1B visas.