The US Department of Homeland Security is planning to increase the H-1B visa fee to $103,265, the Federal Register posted on Monday.
The Trump administration is planning to impose new fees targeting H-1B and F-1 optional practical training (OPT) programmes.
The US Department of Homeland Security released a proposed regulation to increase the H-1B visa fee to $103,265, the Federal Register posted on Monday. Last year, the fee was imposed but has now been blocked by the courts.
If the proposed regulations are implemented, they could raise the expenses of working in the US for foreign nationals, for students who are transitioning from universities to workplaces and for employers sponsoring H-1 workers, according to Fragomen, a corporate immigration services firm.
The immigration law firm Fragomen stated in a note that the proposals have already moved through the White House Office of Management and Budget.
”A proposed OPT fee rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on August 20 and is now under review. A proposed rule to impose a fee on certain H-1B petitions was received by OMB and cleared review on the same day, August 19,” the note said.
Fragomen noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) might propose a $100,000 fee on OPT applications, and the proposed H1-B fee could be tied to the ongoing lawsuit over the administration’s previously blocked $100,000 H-1B petition fee.
However, the contents of the proposals remain confidential and will be released officially later. (NDTV)