ALBAWABA - Not for the first time, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration wants to charge $103,265 to those applying for the U.S. H-1B work visa.
Months prior, a U.S. federal judge struck down an earlier attempt by the Trump administration to charge $100,000 for an application fee.
Showing their commitment to the idea, the Trump administration on Monday posted a proposed regulation that reinstates the fee saying it would go to “recovering” the cost of immigrants on the U.S. economy.
The administration added that the proposed fee would encourage American companies to hire and train American workers instead of immigrants, as it is only a ‘proposed’ regulation, however, there is a long process before it is made official law.
“If an American corporation needs workers, it should hire and train Americans.” Vice President JD Vance said in a post to X on Monday.
Current U.S. law allows for 65,000 H-1B visas a year, with the applicants required to hold Bachelor degrees or a similar equivalent – another 20,000 visas are reserved for those holding advanced degrees from American education institutions.
The Trump administration insists that the H-1B is overused, its previous attempt to impose the $100,000 fee was in September 2025, it was thrown out in June by U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin who said that only Congress has the power to impose new tax policy.
“The President had no power or delegated authority to impose a tax on H-1B petitions,” the Judge wrote.
