Gianna Hayes
News Editor
On September 19, the White House announced a proclamation regarding H-1B visas. The proclamation puts a $100,000 fee on applications for H-1B visas, and was put into effect Sunday, Sept. 21. The goal of this change is “to curb abuses that displace U.S. workers and undermine national security,” as well as “to address the abuse of the program, stop the undercutting of wages, and protect our national security,” per the White House statement on the proclamation.
The fee only applies to new applications, not to existing H-1B visa holders. H-1B visa fees are applied and paid for by the employer on behalf of an international employee. According to a report from AP News, the application fee prior to the proclamation was $215, in addition to other processing fees.
H-1B visas are nonimmigrant visas, which refers to visas that are intended for shorter stays and specific purposes. H-1B visas typically last for three years, and can be renewed once for a total of six years. Under specific circumstances, applicants can appeal for an extension. Visas come in many different forms, so not all international students, faculty or staff necessarily hold H-1B visas.
H-1B visas are not intended for international workers planning to permanently reside in the United States, though H-1B visa holders can transition to a different visa. In that same report from AP News, Bo Cooper, a lawyer specializing in immigrant law, commented that there is ambiguity in “whether the new fee will apply to universities and nonprofit research organizations, employers that Congress has exempted from the annual limit on H-1B visas.”
International students studying in the U.S. do not typically hold H-1B visas, though they may transition to an H-1B visa after completing their studies. Other visas are available, which can be viewed via the State Department’s official website on visas.
There has been no official announcement from the College on whether or not they will pay the $100,000 fee for international staff or faculty who hold H-1B visas. In a campuswide email announcement on September 20 from President McCall, she shared that the administration is “in contact with counsel as well as all faculty and staff who hold these visas and will continue to monitor the situation.”
