H-1B Visa Extensions Could Get Costlier For Employers As US Plans Fee On Renewals
H-1B Visa Extensions Could Get Costlier For Employers As US Plans Fee On Renewals Published By, Last Updated: August 04, 2026, 06:55 IST The Trump
H-1B Visa Extensions Could Get Costlier For Employers As US Plans Fee On Renewals Published By, Last Updated: August 04, 2026, 06:55 IST The Trump administration may expand H-1B and L-1 visa fees to extension applications, increasing costs for employers and affecting thousands of Indian professionals. The Trump administration is considering extending additional H-1B and L-1 visa fees to renewal applications, a move that could significantly increase costs for employers and impact thousands of Indian professionals working in the US. (Photo: AP) Indian professionals working in the United States on H-1B visas could face another policy shift under the Donald Trump administration, with the US government moving closer to expanding an additional visa fee to extension applications as well. If implemented, the proposal would significantly increase costs for employers that rely heavily on foreign skilled workers, particularly large IT companies with a substantial Indian workforce. According to the US Department of Homeland Security’s regulatory agenda, the proposed amendment would expand the scope of the ‘9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee’ so that it applies not only to new H-1B and L-1 petitions and change-of-employer filings, but also to all H-1B and L-1 extension petitions filed by qualifying employers.
The proposal is currently in the final rulemaking stage, though it has not yet taken effect. The fee applies to companies with 50 or more employees in the United States, where more than half of the workforce holds H-1B or L-1 status. At present, such employers pay an additional $4,000 for eligible H-1B petitions and $4,500 for eligible L-1 petitions only when sponsoring a worker for an initial period of stay or when the employee changes employers. Under the proposed rule, these charges would also become payable every time the employer seeks to extend the employee’s stay. The move is expected to have its biggest impact on technology firms and IT services companies that depend heavily on skilled foreign workers, including thousands of Indian professionals employed in the US. According to data released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the majority of H-1B approvals were for workers already employed in the country rather than first-time entrants. Of the approximately 4.06 lakh H-1B petitions approved, nearly 2.91 lakh, or 71 per cent, were approved for continuing employment. According to a TOI report, Indians accounted for the overwhelming majority of these renewals.
The BriefWire