Latest H1B Visa Update 2025: $100,000 Fee Impact on New Applications and Indian

The latest H1B visa update for 2025 reveals a major change: a new one-time $100,000 supplemental fee for all new H1B visa petitions filed after September 21, 2025. This policy affects new visa applicants in the US immigration system but does not impact existing H1B visa holders or renewals. The $100,000 H1B visa fee applies starting with the fiscal year 2026 H1B lottery cycle, significantly raising the overall cost for employers sponsoring skilled foreign workers.

This H1B visa fee hike aims to tighten the process by prioritising highly skilled and higher-paid applicants, mainly impacting IT professionals from India, who constitute over 70% of current H1B beneficiaries. Major tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, heavily reliant on H1B workers, have reacted strongly to the new fee, warning employees to return to the US before the deadline to avoid complications.

The Indian government has expressed concern over this H1B visa fee increase, highlighting its potential disruption to Indian IT professionals’ careers and US-India trade relations. Current H1B visa holders are exempt from the new fee, but new hires face stricter requirements, potentially shrinking opportunities in US tech jobs.

Future H1B visa reforms will also emphasise wage levels, aiming to curb lower-paid employment in the H1B category. Employers must now prepare for higher costs to sponsor foreign talent amid evolving H1B visa rules in 2025.

This latest H1B visa update urges prospective applicants and employers to closely monitor ongoing changes and prepare accordingly for the US work visa application process in 2025-2026.