Trump extends restrictions on H-1B non-immigrant visa program by another year

President Donald Trump has decided to extend an executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B non-immigrant visas for an additional year, according to the White House. Employers, primarily in the tech industry, utilize the H-1B visa program to hire skilled foreign workers for a few years, paying a fee. Trump, known for his tough stance on immigration, has long criticized the program and aims to permanently raise the fee from the current range of $2,000 to $5,000.

However, this proposal has been challenged in court. A Boston-based appeals court is currently reviewing a June decision by a federal judge who deemed the higher fee illegal and blocked its implementation. Another court is examining whether a judge correctly dismissed a challenge to the fee by the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest US business lobbying group.

Trump's original fee hike order, released in September 2025, was set to expire in October. It did not apply to H-1B visas granted to foreign nationals already in the US on student visas or to renewals of existing visas. Despite concerns that some companies exploit the visas to hire cheaper foreign labor, business groups and corporations argue that the program aids in recruiting highly skilled professionals to fill gaps in the US workforce, particularly in the tech sector from countries like India and China.

Changes in the scrutiny and processing of H-1B applicants have affected companies' hiring and expansion plans, with some major H-1B users, such as Alphabet (Google's parent company), considering relocating operations to India.