The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a proposal to impose a $103,265 fee on all H-1B visa applications subject to the annual issuance cap. This would also include applications eligible for the exemption allocation for holders of master’s degrees or higher.
DHS says the fee would recover part of the costs associated with administering the legal immigration system, including adjudicating immigration benefits, fraud detection and national security screening, system modernization, records management and fee collection, operation of immigration courts, visa processing at consulates, enforcement of labor standards, and interagency coordination.
The agency expects 85,000 applications annually and estimates revenue of approximately $8.8 billion. The fee would be paid at the time of application and would be imposed in addition to existing fees.
On the other hand, the fee would not apply to H-1B applications that are exempt from the annual cap. These include applications filed by nonprofit research organizations, government-affiliated research institutions, and institutions of higher education.
The annual cap for H-1B visas is 65,000, with an additional 20,000 available for individuals who have earned a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education.
Zach Kahl, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), commented, “This proposed H-1B fee is intended to recover costs incurred across the federal government for reviewing, processing, and supporting lawful immigration programs. These costs would otherwise have to be borne by taxpayers.”
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