The Trump administration proposed a $103,265 filing fee for new H-1B visa petitions on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026 [1, 2].
This move targets the business model of international IT firms and could significantly reduce the number of foreign professionals entering the U.S. workforce.
The proposed regulation, released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, applies specifically to new petitions subject to the annual cap of 85,000 visas [3, 4]. The administration said it intends to raise the cost of filing to discourage the deployment of foreign-trained workers [5, 6].
While the proposed fee is steep, the regulation excludes visa renewals from the new cost requirement [2]. This distinction ensures that current H-1B holders can maintain their status without facing the six-figure filing fee.
The proposal is expected to put significant pressure on Indian IT service providers. Companies such as TCS and Infosys rely heavily on the H-1B program to staff projects within the U.S. [6]. By increasing the financial barrier to entry, the administration said it seeks to incentivize the hiring of domestic workers over foreign nationals.
The specific fee amount of $103,265 [2] represents a massive increase over previous filing costs. Some reports describe the fee as more than $100,000 [1], while others cite a flat $100,000 figure [7]. The higher figure of $103,265 is the specific amount cited in the regulatory proposal [2].
This policy shift aligns with broader administration goals to prioritize U.S. citizens in the labor market. The administration has previously said that high costs for visa sponsorship would force companies to reconsider their reliance on the H-1B cap [6].
“The administration intends to raise the cost of filing to discourage the deployment of foreign-trained workers.”
This proposal represents a shift from using quotas to using financial deterrents to control immigration. By targeting the 85,000-visa annual cap with a six-figure fee, the U.S. government is effectively pricing out smaller firms and challenging the high-volume outsourcing model used by major Indian IT firms, potentially forcing a structural change in how global tech companies staff their U.S. operations.
