White House Clarifies H-1B Visa $100,000 Fee, Applies Only to New Applicants
Mangalore Today News Network
Washington, Sept. 21, 2025: The White House on Saturday clarified its controversial new H-1B visa policy, confirming that the $100,000 fee will be a one-time payment applying only to new visa applicants, not to renewals or current holders.
The announcement came hours before the policy was set to take effect. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a social media post, “This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.”
Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said the fee would be annual and cover both new visas and renewals, causing confusion and concern among tech companies and H-1B holders. Some workers reportedly de-boarded flights fearing they might be barred from re-entry, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Leavitt reassured visa holders, stating, “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would.”
The H-1B visa program allows US companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills—including scientists, engineers, and programmers—for an initial period of three years, extendable to six. Indian nationals account for nearly 75% of H-1B lottery allocations each year. In 2024, the US approved roughly 400,000 H-1B visas, two-thirds of which were renewals.
President Donald Trump, who signed the executive order on Friday, said the move aims to protect American workers. The order claims the H-1B program “has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”
Alongside the visa changes, Trump also introduced a $1 million “gold card” residency program. “The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
The policy is set to take effect Sunday at 12:01 am US Eastern time (0401 GMT) and is expected to face legal challenges.