US new H-1B visa fee will not apply to existing holders, White House says
The H-1B visa program is used widely by the tech sector and dominated by computer professionals from India. (Photo: AFP/Sajjad Hussain)
A new US$100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas in the United States goes into effect on Sunday (Sep 21), 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 US, 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 US, some just hours after landing abroad, fearing they will be subject to the new US$100,000 fee.
