US Vice President JD Vance has backed the Trump administration’s proposed six-figure H-1B fee, saying American companies should hire and train US workers as Washington moves to make the visa programme more expensive.
“If an American corporation needs workers, it should hire and train Americans,” US Vice President JD Vance said as the Trump administration unveiled plans for an additional $103,265 fee on H-1B cap-subject visa petitions.
The proposed fee, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, would be paid when an H-1B petition is filed and would come on top of existing fees. It would apply to petitions subject to the annual H-1B cap, including those eligible for the advanced-degree exemption.
The proposed charge would represent a major increase in the cost of hiring foreign skilled workers under the H-1B programme, which is widely used by US technology companies to recruit engineers, software developers and other specialised professionals.
DHS estimates the new fee could generate around $8.8 billion annually, based on approximately 85,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions.
The proposal comes after a federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s earlier $100,000 H-1B fee. The latest measure is being pursued through a formal rulemaking process and is expected to face scrutiny from companies, immigration groups and potentially the courts.
The H-1B programme has an annual statutory cap of 85,000 new visas, comprising 65,000 regular-cap visas and 20,000 reserved for applicants with advanced degrees from US institutions.
More from BusinessThe proposed $103,265 fee would not apply to H-1B petitions that are exempt from the annual cap, including certain petitions filed by higher education institutions and nonprofit and government research organisations.
Vance’s comments underline the administration’s broader push to make US companies prioritise domestic workers. The proposal is likely to have particular significance for Indian professionals, who account for a large share of H-1B beneficiaries.
