Trump govt proposes USD103k fee for skilled worker visa

The administration of US President Donald Trump has proposed imposing a USD 103,265 fee on employers hiring foreign workers through the H-1B skilled visa program, following a previous legal setback. The primary aim of this move, which would generate revenue for administering the lawful immigration system, stems from the administration's goal of curbing both undocumented and lawful immigration.

The fee, if implemented, would be effective from September 2025. The H-1B visa program has been criticized by the Trump administration for being used to replace American workers instead of supplementing their numbers. In September 2025, a presidential proclamation was issued, imposing the USD 100,000 fee to tackle what the administration deemed as "systemic abuse."

However, a federal judge in June blocked this order, upholding the lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic-led states which argued that the fee was an unlawful tax that circumvented Congressional authority. Another federal judge in December 2025 upheld the same action, concluding that the president had broad statutory authority to address what he perceived as a matter of economic and national security. This decision is currently under appeal.