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4h ago

White House Weighs $100,000 H‑1B Fee as Banks Unveils Bill to Scrap Lottery and End OPT

The proposals would shift the program toward pay-based selection with sharply higher employer costs.

President Donald Trump talks at a press conference alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, not pictured, at Chequers in Aylesbury, England, on September 18, 2025.
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Overview

  • Bloomberg, citing a White House official, reports President Trump is expected to sign a proclamation conditioning H‑1B entry on a $100,000 payment and directing the Labor Secretary to revise prevailing‑wage levels.
  • It remains unclear whether the $100,000 would be added to existing charges, which currently include a $215 lottery registration fee, a $780 Form I‑129 filing fee, and a recently introduced $250 visa integrity fee.
  • Separately, Senator Jim Banks introduced the American Tech Workforce Act to replace the H‑1B lottery with a highest‑compensation selection system and to eliminate the OPT program used by recent international graduates.
  • The bill sets pay requirements at the greater of a comparable U.S. worker’s wage or $110,000 (indexed to inflation), with reporting describing a separate provision proposing a $150,000 floor, and it limits third‑party placements to one‑year validity.
  • Economists and immigration lawyers warned the reported $100,000 fee could effectively shut down H‑1B hiring, strain sectors like healthcare and STEM, and face legal challenges, while the program today issues 85,000 visas with roughly half going through staffing and outsourcing firms and about 70% to Indian nationals.