A proposed $103,265 H-1B visa fee could end up costing the US Treasury billions of dollars over the next decade if the steep increase prompts employers to reduce applications, according to a new analysis by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) Research Center.
The proposed fee is part of a broader overhaul of the H-1B program under the Trump administration and would apply to cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the US advanced-degree exemption. It would be charged in addition to other applicable immigration fees or payments.
CCIA modelled four possible employer responses to the proposed fee. The agency proposed the charge as a way to recover part of the federal government’s costs of administering the lawful immigration system, including work carried out by DHS, the Department of Labor, the Department of State and the Department of Justice. Its analysis found that the government would collect more in fee revenue than it loses in related tax receipts only if H-1B filings fall by less than about 25%. The DHS proposal, published in the Federal Register on August 25, is not yet a final fee. The proposal is separate from the $100,000 payment requirement introduced under a 2025 presidential proclamation for certain H-1B workers outside the US. President Donald Trump extended that restriction on September 18, 2026, for another 12 months. The White House said the restriction will remain in place through September 21, 2027, unless extended again. The White House has said the $100,000 payment and other H-1B changes are intended to address what the administration describes as abuse of the program and protect US workers. The administration said more than 700 petitions had been filed with the $100,000 payment since the policy took effect in 2025. It said registrations among the employers most reliant on hiring workers from abroad fell substantially following the $100,000 requirement.
Because its revenue projections assume that applications would not fall significantly despite the six-figure cost increase, cCIA chief economist Trevor Wagener said DHS should reconsider the proposal.
The CCIA study points to the earlier policy as evidence that employer demand can change sharply when the cost of hiring H-1B workers rises.
