A trade group representing some of the largest U.S. technology companies is urging the Trump administration to withdraw a proposed $103,265 fee on most new H-1B visa petitions, arguing that the charge would make it harder for American companies to recruit specialized workers and compete globally.
TechNet filed its opposition Thursday as a public comment on a Department of Homeland Security proposal that would impose the fee on H-1B petitions subject to the annual visa cap. The group represents companies including Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta.
"This proposal undermines the U.S. global competitiveness championed by the President," TechNet said according to The Wall Street Journal, arguing that restricting access to international talent would affect innovation, business formation and economic growth.
The dispute comes as technology companies compete for workers in artificial intelligence and other specialized fields. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has argued that the U.S. needs access to researchers and engineers from around the world to maintain its position in AI, as WSJ points out.
TechNet also warned that the cost could fall particularly heavily on startups and smaller companies that cannot absorb a six-figure charge for individual hires as easily as larger corporations. GuruFocus reported that the industry group views international workers as important to technology-sector growth and innovation.
DHS proposed the $103,265 charge in August. It would apply to cap-subject H-1B petitions, including those qualifying for the 20,000-visa exemption for workers with advanced U.S. degrees, and would come on top of existing filing fees.
The department says the money is needed to recover costs associated with administering the broader legal immigration system. DHS estimated approximately $8.78 billion in costs and divided that figure by 85,000 expected fee-paying petitions, producing the proposed $103,265 charge.
Revenue would support immigration-related work across several federal agencies, including visa adjudication, fraud detection, national-security vetting, immigration enforcement, consular processing and immigration courts.
The proposal follows the Trump administration's earlier effort to impose a $100,000 payment on certain new H-1B applications. Trump extended that policy for another year this month, saying the program has been used by some employers to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign labor.
Technology companies have disputed broader efforts to restrict access to H-1B workers while supporting measures intended to prevent fraud and misuse of the program.
