Trump administration seeks to formalise H-1B fee of more than $100,000

The new proposal would charge $103,265 for H-1B visas, and attempts to make permanent a temporary rule challenged by the US courts.The administration of United States President Donald Trump has proposed a rule to formalise a controversial fee for H-1B work visas to the US and charge $103,265 for these visa applications going forward.The proposed fee for highly skilled foreign workers was published in the US Federal Register on Monday, and will now be subject to a 30-day public comment period, after which it could be finalised and put into practice by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It would dramatically increase the cost of visas that are in high use in recruiting workers in the tech, education and research sectors.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3First lawsuit filed challenging Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa feelist 2 of 3Trump suspends immigrant visas for 75 countries: Who’s affected?list 3 of 3US judge strikes down Trump’s $100,000 H1-B visa feeend of listLast year, Trump temporarily imposed a fee of $100,000 for the visa programme, which was then blocked by court rulings. The temporary proclamation is due to expire in September, and the new DHS proposal would replace it and make the fee permanent.In June, a federal judge ruled the fee was illegal and barred the Trump administration from collecting it. A Boston-based appeals court is reviewing that decision, while a different court considers whether a judge in Washington, DC properly rejected a challenge to the fee by a major business group.The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign workers with training in specialty fields and offers 65,000 visas annually, with another 20,000 for workers with advanced degrees, approved for three to six years.The order Trump issued last year sharply increased the cost of obtaining some H-1B visas, which had typically come with about $2,000 to $5,000 in fees, depending on various factors.