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H-1B Visa Fee Hike 2025: United States President Donald Trump has raised the H-1B visa fee to US$100,000 (over Rs 88 lakh) in a bid to curb immigration into the country. The move is aimed at ensuring that only "highly skilled" workers are brought into the country. The H-1B visa is the most sought-after visa and the high fee of $100,000 could severely impact the career prospects of many Indians.

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The Trump administration's immigration overhaul sparked confusion among immigrant workers, prompting the White House to clarify on Saturday that the measure targets only new applicants.

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

What is H-1B Visa?

The H-1B visa is for professionals or students who wish to work in a "specialty occupation" in the United States. Specialty occupations require individuals to have highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of a bachelor's degree. The company must sponsor the individual and file a petition on their behalf and submit a verification letter through the project manager. initially H-1B for three years, but extendable to six years.

The H-1B3 visa is for fashion models who wish to pursue a career in the United States. To be eligible for the visa, they must be fashion models with "special abilities and potential."

H-1B Visa Fees Date:

A press release of the presidential action shared on the White House (WH) website states that the new rule over H-1B visas comes into effect on September 21.

In Addition, the White House press release reads: “Employers shall, before filing an H-1B petition on behalf of an alien outside the United States, obtain and retain documentation showing that the payment of this proclamation has been made.”

H-1B Visa Fees: Key Points From USCIS Guidelines

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified who is affected by President Trump’s new H-1B visa proclamation.

-The rule applies only to petitions that have not yet been filed.

-It does not apply to beneficiaries of petitions filed before September 21, 2025.

-It does not apply to beneficiaries of currently approved petitions.

-It does not apply to those with validly issued H-1B visas.

-Current visa holders can continue to travel to and from the US without impact.

The department also urged the officers to ensure all decisions are consistent with this guidance.

Amazon, Meta, Microsoft Issue Advisories:

After Trump dropped the $100,000 H-1B visa bombshell,, multinational company Microsoft advised its employees to stay in the US and return within a day if they were out before the deadline. Amazon, Alphabet Inc. and Meta followed suit. JPMorgan Chase issued similar advice.

According to US government data cited by Bloomberg, the companies with the highest number of H-1B visa holders are Amazon, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Microsoft, Meta Platforms Inc., and Apple Inc. Financial and retail giants JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Walmart Inc. rank 8th and 9th, respectively.

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As per the US Citizenship Immigration and Services, US has received enough petitions to meet the 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. master's cap, for fiscal year 2026.