The new regulation only applies to new applications, not existing visa holders, according to the White House press secretary.
The new H-1B visa fee restriction would only apply to new applicants, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who confirmed on September 21 that current holders may reenter the country for free.
Existing Holders Exempted Fee
According to Leavitt, the higher cost is a one-time expense rather than a recurring one. Additionally, it will not cost $100,000 for existing H-1B visa holders to reenter the United States.
“H-1B visa holders may leave and re-enter the nation to the same amount as they usually would; yesterday’s declaration does not impede their capacity to do so,” she said in a post on X.
Leavitt said that existing visa holders are exempt from the new restriction; it only applies to new applicants.
Trump Raises H1B Fee
In a massive upheaval to the IT sector, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order on September 19 raising the cost that businesses must pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to an astounding $100,000.
This implies that those who are presently leaving the US or heading to India do not have to worry about hurrying back to avoid having to pay the visa cost. “Those traveling to India or departing the nation are not required to pay the $100,000 price or return by Sunday. $100,000 is just for new holders, not current ones,” ANI had previously reported.
US H1B Restrictions Impact
After Trump’s announcement to impose the charge, Indians in the US on H-1B visas experienced widespread fear, bewilderment, and anxiety. Many of them had to make last-minute travel arrangements while waiting to board planes back to their home country, and many more who were already in India were frantically trying to return.
The United States, which receives almost three-fourths of all H-1B visas, may be the nation most impacted by President Donald Trump’s recent immigration restrictions. The move to require new hires to pay $100,000 might upset families and affect Indian IT workers and remittances, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.
There have been reports to the government about the potential limitations on the US H1B visa program. On September 20, MEA spokeswoman Randhir Jaiswal said, “All parties involved are studying the entire effects of the measure, including Indian business, which has already released an initial report addressing certain misunderstandings relating to the H1B program.”