US plans new fees for H-1B visa renewals; Indians likely to be hit hard

Summary

The administration of US President Donald Trump is making the H-1B work visa regime tougher by expanding an additional visa fee for extending existing visas. Till now, the fee had to be paid only for new H-1B and L-1 visa (for employees transferred from abroad) visas. This could sharply increase costs for companies seeking to retain exiting foreign workers in the US on visas like the H-1B visa, and hit Indian professionals who accounted for a majority of all H-1B renewals in 2025. "The 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fees for H-1B and L-1 Visas (9-11 Response Fees) are fees paid by certain employers of H-1B and L non-immigrant workers. To implement Public Law 114-113, DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) is amending and clarifying the regulations to specify that the 9-11 Response Fees will apply to all H-1B and L-1 extension petitions in addition to all previously covered H-1B and L-1 petitions," the rule item read. Currently, the fee applies only when an eligible employer files for an initial H-1B of L-1 petition, or when a foreign worker changes employers. The proposal to expand the ambit of the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee targets employers with 50 or more employees in the US where at least half of the employed workforce holds H-1B and L-1 status. These employers currently shell out at least 4,000 dollars for new H-1B petitions and 4,500 dollars for new L-1 petitions. According to data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS (U.S. immigration agency)), the agency approved 406,348 H-1B petitions in FY2025, of which 291,542 (nearly 72%) were for continuing employment. The proposal revives a policy that DHS finalised in 2020 but never implemented after it was blocked in court.