US President Donald Trump has announced the extension of a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications for an additional year. This measure will remain in effect until September 21, 2027. The controversial immigration restriction continues amid ongoing legal challenges in US courts.
The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire skilled foreign workers, including professionals in the technology sector, for jobs in the country for several years. The White House said Trump had extended the executive order behind the fee, which was first issued in September 2025 and was due to expire this month. The White House said the original September 2025 proclamation was intended to address what the administration described as abuses of the H-1B programme, particularly involving IT staffing and outsourcing companies. The administration said the $100,000 payment has been made for more than 700 petitions since the restriction came into effect on September 21, 2025. The administration said the combination of the $100,000 payment and the weighted selection system has already affected H-1B filing patterns. The White House said the proportion of FY 2027 registrants with at least a US master’s degree rose from 45.1% in FY 2026 to 66.1% in FY 2027. Registrations corresponding to the two highest wage levels accounted for about 46.3% of selections, while the lowest wage level accounted for 17.8%. The administration attributed these changes to the combined impact of the $100,000 payment and the weighted selection system.
Some companies had used H-1B workers for lower-paid positions and, in some cases, later outsourced jobs overseas, according to the proclamation. The administration said this had contributed to wage suppression and made it more difficult for some US workers and recent STEM graduates to find employment.
