Could Trump’s H-1B fee plan push hiring costs above $200,000? Here’s the calculation

The cost of hiring a foreign skilled worker through the H-1B visa program could theoretically rise above $200,000 under two separate measures proposed or imposed by the Trump administration. The potential total is $203,265, before ordinary H-1B filing and other applicable fees.

The calculation combines a $100,000 payment created by a presidential proclamation with a newly proposed Department of Homeland Security fee of $103,265. The earlier payment applied to certain H-1B workers entering the United States from abroad. A federal judge struck it down in June 2026 as unlawful, and the administration has appealed. The payment is not currently being collected.

The DHS proposal uses a different mechanism. Published in the Federal Register on August 24, it would apply to cap-subject H-1B petitions, including petitions covered by the advanced-degree exemption. It would not apply to cap-exempt petitions. DHS proposed the charge separately rather than increasing an existing H-1B fee.

The Federal Register notice said the fee would come in addition to other applicable payments, including a separate amount required under a presidential proclamation. DHS said petitioners subject to both charges would have to pay both: $100,000 under the earlier proclamation and $103,265 under the proposed rule. That combined amount remains theoretical because the first payment was blocked and the second has not become a rule.

DHS says the new fee would recover the cost of administering the lawful immigration system across federal agencies. The department estimates it could generate billions of dollars annually and apply to about 85,000 cap-subject petitions each year. USA Today reported that only 85 applicants paid the $100,000 fee during the first five months before courts blocked it, while the number of applicants dropped 87.