Administration issues updated guidance on H1-B visa filing fee

The administration released updated guidance on its recent policy to implement a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas. The fee will apply to beneficiaries outside the U.S. who do not have a valid H-1B visa. The fee does not apply to any previously issued and current H-1B visas and does not prevent current H-1B holders from traveling within the U.S. or abroad. The administration has an exception process to grant approvals on a case-by-case, rather than categorical exceptions. Employers seeking exceptions should provide evidence of why the worker is in the national interest; show how no American worker can fill the role; prove the worker is not a security threat and state why requiring the employer to pay the fee would undermine the national interest. (AHA News article, 10/21/25)