Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe new $100,000 H-1B visa fee won't apply to existing holders, impacting only new applicants. Corporate America and Indian IT firms express concerns.
By Jeff Mason
(Reuters) -A new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas in the United States goes into effect on Sunday, but it will not be applied to existing holders of valid visas re-entering the country, a White House official said on Saturday.
"This is a one-time fee," the official said.
The executive order imposing the new fee on H-1B visa applications, which was signed by President Donald Trump on Friday night, could disrupt the global operations of Indian technology services companies that deploy skilled professionals to the United States, Indian IT industry body Nasscom said early on Saturday.
The White House said the fee will not impact current visa holders re-entering the country or those renewing their visas.
The new fee structure will first apply to the upcoming H-1B lottery cycle for new applicants, and not to current visa holders or to renewals.
Friday's announcement sparked concerns among employees across swaths of corporate America. Companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet advised some employees holding H-1B visas to remain in the U.S., according to internal emails reviewed by Reuters.
On the popular Chinese social media app Rednote, many H-1B holders shared stories of rushing back to the U.S. — some just hours after landing abroad — fearing they will be subject to the new $100,000 fee.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; Additional reporting Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and Marguerita Choy)
No, the new $100,000 fee will not apply to existing holders of valid visas re-entering the country.
The new fee goes into effect on Sunday, following the announcement made by the White House.
The fee is part of an executive order signed by President Trump and is aimed at new applicants in the upcoming H-1B lottery cycle.
Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet have advised some employees holding H-1B visas to remain cautious about their travel plans.
Many H-1B holders are sharing stories of rushing back to the U.S. to avoid being subject to the new fee after traveling abroad.
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