The government of US President Donald Trump has proposed raising the\nwork visa application fee to more than USD 100,000, or Rp 1.82 billion.\nThe visa fee would be charged to employers who hire foreign workers\nthrough the visa programme for highly skilled labour.<\/p>\n
According to AFP on Wednesday (26\/8\/2026), the US Department of\nHomeland Security proposed a fee of USD 103,265 for H-1B visas. The fee\nwould serve as a \u201crevenue mechanism\u201d to cover the costs of administering\nthe legal immigration system.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has argued that the visa programme has been\nmisused to replace, rather than complement, American workers. In\nSeptember 2025, it issued a presidential proclamation setting a USD\n100,000 fee to address what it called \u201csystemic abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Previously, a federal judge in June struck down that order. The\nfederal judge ruled in favour of a lawsuit brought by 20 Democratic-led\nstates, which argued that the fee was an illegal tax that overstepped\ncongressional authority.<\/p>\n
Another federal judge in December 2025 upheld a similar action,\nstating that the president has \u201cbroad legal authority\u201d to address\n\u201cmatters he deems to be economic and national security concerns.\u201d That\nruling is now under appeal.<\/p>\n
In the latest proposal, the government has placed greater emphasis on\na cost-based argument, citing the need to cover the operational expenses\nof relevant agencies, including US Citizenship and Immigration Services\n(USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and\nCustoms Enforcement (ICE).<\/p>\n
However, the government also acknowledged what it described as an\n\u201cindirect\u201d benefit: \u201cUS employers, if required to pay an additional fee\nof USD 103,265 when applying for H-1B visas subject to quota\nrestrictions, would be less likely to choose H-1B workers over\nqualified, highly skilled American workers.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was also noted that the proposed new fee \u201cwould be imposed in\naddition to other applicable fees or payments,\u201d including fees stemming\nfrom the presidential proclamation currently under legal review\u2014although\nthat provision will expire this September unless extended.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, there will be a 30-day public comment period before any\nrule can be implemented. Legal challenges are almost certain to arise\nbased on a number of arguments, including the previously expressed view\nthat the new proposal is essentially a de facto tax and exceeds the\nauthority established by statute.<\/p>\n
Congress created the H-1B programme in 1990, and the US currently\nissues 85,000 H-1B visas each year.<\/p>\n
According to official data, in fiscal year 2025, 70 percent of H-1B\nvisa holders came from India, followed by China at 12 percent, as well\nas the Philippines, Canada, and South Korea.<\/p>\n
Amazon was recorded as the largest employer, with more than 9,000\napproved H-1B visas in fiscal year 2026.<\/p>\n
Several prominent technology executives have previously held H-1B\nvisas, including Elon Musk of SpaceX and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.<\/p>\n
Critics say the new rule would cause significant labour shortages in\nvarious fields, including IT, engineering, education, and medicine.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-proposes-raising-skilled-worker-visa-fee-to-rp-1-8-billion-1787716367", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }