Trump administration proposes $103,265 fee for new H-1B visas

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has proposed a fee of more than $103,000 on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, a government notice on the Federal Register showed Monday.

The Department of Homeland Security proposed a $103,265 fee for the H-1B visa program — designed for skilled professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math — although a federal judge in June ruled that the fee was illegal.

The department plans to receive public comments on the proposal for 30 days after the official publication of the Federal Register notice, which is set for Tuesday.

"This fee would serve as a dedicated revenue mechanism to help recover a portion of the federal government's costs of administering the lawful immigration system," the department said in the notice.

In September, Trump signed a proclamation to impose a yearly fee of $100,000 for an H-1B nonimmigrant visa application. The proclamation is set to expire next month as stipulated in it.

The notice came as the Trump administration has been doubling down on its immigration controls under its "America First" policy.

The H-1B program is subject to an annual worldwide cap of 85,000 visas.

Yonhap