Since returning to power for a second term, Trump has been imposing as many restrictions as possible to curb foreign immigration into the country. US President Donald Trump, who has set curbing immigration as his goal, is intensifying efforts in that direction. As part of this, he has made the H-1B visa program his primary target, making an all-out effort to raise visa fees through every possible avenue in order to restrict the entry of foreign nationals. International media reports have now emerged indicating that the Trump administration is attempting to raise H-1B visa fees once again. The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has revealed that it has conducted a full-scale review of this proposal.
It is reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the one that brought this fee-hike proposal forward. However, notably, the Trump administration has not yet disclosed details relating to it. No information has emerged so far on exactly how much the fees would be raised, nor which categories of H-1B visa petitions this fee hike would apply to. It is understood that DHS itself may make this proposal public in the coming weeks, after which, according to reports circulating, it will accept public objections before arriving at a final decision.
Experts, however, note that the mere completion of the OIRA review does not mean the fee hike has been approved. It is understood that DHS will make its final decision based on public feedback after presenting the proposal to the public.
The Trump administration previously suffered a setback in court over an H-1B visa fee increase. Even so, undeterred, it recently raised the 9/11 Response and Biometric fees substantially, imposing this additional burden on certain organizations that apply for H-1B and L-1 visa extensions. International media reports also indicate that the Trump administration is considering further changes to the H-1B visa to tighten scrutiny of the organizations that sponsor such visas.
It is reported that the US approved 4,06,348 H-1B visa petitions in fiscal year 2025. Of these, 2,91,542 petitions were related to visa extensions, with Indian nationals accounting for 77.6 percent of that share. Against this backdrop, experts believe that if visa fees are raised again, it will increase the cost burden on tech companies that employ large numbers of Indian workers.