What did Donald Trump do to the H-1B $100,000 visa fee plan?

Trump extended the executive order for another year, keeping the proposed $100,000 fee for H-1B non-immigrant visas in place. The White House said the original order, first released in September 2025, was due to expire this month.

Why is Trump's H-1B fee increase facing legal challenges?

A federal judge ruled in June that the higher fee was illegal and blocked the government from collecting it, and that ruling is now under review by a Boston-based appeals court. A separate court is also weighing a challenge brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Which H-1B applicants would the original fee hike not have applied to?

The order did not apply to visas for foreign citizens already in the United States on student visas, and it also did not apply to renewals of current visas. The article says those students make up a large share of new H-1B recipients.

Trump extends push for $100,000 H-1B visas by another year

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Summary

U.S. President Donald Trump has extended by one year an executive order that would impose a $100,000 fee for H-1B non-immigrant visas, the White House said Friday. He has criticized the program and wants to permanently raise the fee, though the plan faces legal challenges. The original fee-hike order, issued in September 2025, was set to expire this month.

Key Facts

A Boston-based appeals court is reviewing a June decision by a federal judge who found the higher fee illegal and blocked the government from collecting it.
Another court is considering a challenge to the fee filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The current H-1B visa fee is between $2,000 and $5,000, while Trump wants to raise it to at least $100,000.
The original fee-hike order did not apply to people already in the United States on student visas or to renewals of current visas.

By Reuters

Published Sep 19, 2026 9:38 am KST
Updated Sep 19, 2026 2:50 pm KST

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he makes an announcement on health care in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., Sept. 18. Reuters-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has extended an executive order that would impose a fee of $100,000 for H-1B non-immigrant visas by another year, the White House said on Friday.

U.S. employers seeking to hire skilled foreign workers can use the federal government's H-1B visa program for a fee, allowing tech and other professionals from abroad to work in the United States for a few years.

Trump, who has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown, has criticized the program and wants to permanently raise the fee from between $2,000 and $5,000 to at least $100,000, though the attempt has faced legal challenges.

A Boston-based appeals court is reviewing a June decision by a federal judge who deemed the higher fee imposed by the Trump administration illegal and blocked the government from collecting it. Another court is considering whether a judge properly rejected a challenge to the fee by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest U.S. business lobbying group.

Trump's initial order for a fee hike, first released in September 2025, was set to expire this month. It did not apply to visas granted to foreign citizens already in the United States on student visas, who make up a large share of new H-1B recipients, or to renewals of current visas.

Despite criticism that some companies use the visas to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans, business groups and companies say they help recruit highly skilled professionals and address a lack of qualified U.S. workers in some industries.

The visas, established by Congress in 1990, are especially critical for tech companies seeking to recruit from India and China.

Changes to how potential visa holders are scrutinized and processed have impacted companies' hiring and expansion plans, with some top H-1B users, such as Google parent company Alphabet, moving to increase operations in India.

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