Trump Keeps H-1B Fee Hike Alive with One-Year Extension
President Donald Trump has extended an executive order that would increase the fee for H-1B non-immigrant visas from between $2,000 and $5,000 to at least $100,000 by another year.
The move comes as a Boston-based appeals court reviews 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.
US employers can use the H-1B visa program for a fee to hire skilled foreign workers, allowing tech and other professionals from abroad to work in the United States for a few years.
Trump has criticized the program, which he believes is used by companies to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans.
The change would apply to new visas, not renewals or those granted to foreign citizens already in the US on student visas.