Now Reading: Trump administration proposes $103,265 fee for H-1B visas
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Trump administration proposes $103,265 fee for H-1B visas
The Trump administration has proposed a $103,265 fee on employers who hire foreign workers through the H-1B visa programme. The Department of Homeland Security said the fee would help recover the costs…
The Trump administration has proposed a $103,265 fee on employers who hire foreign workers through the H-1B visa programme. The Department of Homeland Security said the fee would help recover the costs of running the immigration system, covering agencies like USCIS, CBP and ICE. English Mathrubhumi reports that this move follows a legal setback over an earlier attempt to impose a $100,000 fee.
In September 2025, Trump issued a proclamation for a $100,000 fee, calling it a measure against systemic abuse of the programme. A federal judge blocked it in June 2025 after Democratic-led states challenged it as an unlawful tax. Another judge upheld it in December 2025, and that ruling is on appeal. Gulf News notes that the new proposal leans more heavily on cost-based arguments.
Under the new rule, the $103,265 fee would be added to existing charges, meaning employers could face both fees if the earlier measure survives legal challenge. Critics warn the cost could worsen skilled worker shortages in medicine, engineering and science.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources report the H-1B fee proposal factually, but English Mathrubhumi provides the fuller legal timeline, including the blocked order and the December ruling that upheld the fee. Gulf News focuses on the cost-based justification from DHS. Neither outlet challenges or endorses the administration's framing, they present it as a policy move with legal and economic implications. The key difference is depth: one offers background, the other stays on the immediate announcement. The fee's fate depends on whether Congress acts or the courts settle the earlier case.
The tribunal hears the appeal on an unspecified date.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): english.mathrubhumi.com (neutral report), gulfnews.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
