Trump Extends $100k H-1B Visa Fee Amid Immigration Crackdown

US President Donald Trump has extended his executive order to increase the fee for H-1B non-immigrant visas to $100,000. The initial order, first released in September 2025, was set to expire this month but has been extended by a year. This move is part of Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown and aims to raise the current fee from between $2,000 and $5,000.

The H-1B visa program allows US employers to hire skilled foreign workers for a few years. However, critics argue that some companies use these visas to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans. Business groups and companies say the visas help recruit highly skilled professionals and address a lack of qualified US workers in certain industries.

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. The change has impacted companies' hiring and expansion plans, with some top H-1B users, such as Alphabet (Google's parent company), moving to increase operations in India.