US waives $100,000 H-1B visa fee for new graduates

Recent college graduates with student visas and certain foreign workers already residing in the US will not need to pay the $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas.

For more than a decade, H-1B visas have been issued through a lottery, with an annual cap of 65,000 visas, plus an additional 20,000 for candidates with advanced degrees - PHOTO: REUTERS

According to the Straits Times on October 22, the US Department of Homeland Security has just announced updated guidance regarding new regulations on H-1B visas.

Accordingly, newly graduated international students and some foreign workers legally residing in the US will not have to pay the $100,000 fee when applying for this type of visa.

The guidance, issued this week by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), applies to people residing in the United States with valid visas – including students and certain groups of workers.

Previously, the H-1B visa application fee only ranged from 1,700 to 4,500 USD, but on September 19, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reform the H-1B visa program for immigrant workers, with the fee sharply increased to 100,000 USD.

The new fee has sent shockwaves through the business community and visa applicants, leaving many confused about who will pay the fee and whether those already abroad will be charged when they return to the United States.

According to CIS, the new guidance ensures that H-1B visa holders will not incur additional costs when traveling or changing employers. However, the agency did not specify which visa types would be exempt from the H-1B fee, and a CIS spokesperson declined to comment beyond what was published.

The ambiguity of the regulations has severely affected many industries that depend on foreign workers.

Bloomberg news site reported on October 21 that Walmart - the largest retail employer in the US with more than 2,400 employees holding H-1B visas - has temporarily stopped recruiting candidates needing this type of visa.

The move to "freeze" recruitment shows the level of instability of the new policy, causing serious disruption to human resource planning.

For more than a decade, the H-1B visa has been highly sought after, with an annual cap of 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 visas for advanced degree applicants, issued through a lottery.

The Trump administration in September proposed overhauling that process to prioritize visas for higher-level and better-paid positions, helping reduce abuse of H-1B visas in the tech sector.

However, business associations have objected, saying the new fee and related regulatory changes could exacerbate labor shortages, especially in industries that are struggling to recruit highly skilled positions.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of health care providers, unions, schools and religious organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the fee decisions.

XUAN THAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/my-mien-le-phi-100-000-usd-visa-h-1b-cho-du-hoc-sinh-moi-tot-nghiep-20251022190915178.htm