H-1B Visa Fees Is 80% More Than Average Annual Salary Of All Visa Holders

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 13:13 IST

The changes will also have an impact on India, as in recent years, about 71–73 per cent of approvals have been for Indians.

Under a proclamation that takes effect on 21 September 2025, employers will now need to pay a $100,000 fee for every H-1B worker entering the US.

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a change in the application fee for H-1B visa. Anyone who will be applying for the H-1B visa now will have to pay $100,000 as an application fee.

According to an analysis by HT, the new fees imposed by the Trump administration actually surpass the median annual salary of a fresh H-1B visa holder, and is also more than 80 per cent of the average annual salary of all H-1B visa holders.

A report Financial Times explains the application fees something like this: “The six-figure ($100,000) application fee — which (US Secretary of Commerce Howard) Lutnick said employers would have to pay annually — marks a departure for the government, which currently charges $215 to register for an H-1B visa lottery and an additional $780 for employers that sponsor visa applicants. A White House executive order states that the payment is an application fee and does not mention an annual payment".

The changes in the visa application fees are also likely to affect the Indian IT industries. While announcing the hikes in fees, Trump spoke about the IT firms and said they “have prominently manipulated the H-1B system, significantly harming American workers in computer-related fields".

How H-1B Visa Fees Affect India?

The H-1B visa application fee change is likely to hit India on a massive extent. Most of the H-1B visas go to Indians. In recent years, about 71–73 per cent of approvals have been for Indians, while only around 11–12 per cent went to Chinese applicants. In FY 2023, Indians received about 191,000 H-1B visas, and this number increased to nearly 207,000 in FY 2024. This means that more than 200,000 Indian professionals on H-1B visas could be directly affected.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the state-of-the-art Mumbai Cruise Terminal (MICT) today. Spanning over 4,15,000, the MICT can accommodate 1 million passengers annually.

The project, which places Mumbai as a global cruise hub, has been made under the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’. Giving a boost to India’s maritime infrastructure, it will offer a smooth travel experience for the tourists.

Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate several projects in Gujarat today as he will attend the ‘Samudra se Samriddhi’ event.

Among the Projects to be launched today, projects of the maritime sector alone are valued at over Rs 7,800 crore. This includes major projects like a new cruise terminal in Mumbai, new container facilities at key ports in Kolkata and Paradip, and a Green Bio-Methanol Plant at Deendayal Port, which are set to improve cargo movement and trade, according to an official statement from PMO.

PM Modi’s Big Remark Amid Tariff, H-1B Visa Concerns

After Trump’s announcement, PM Modi on Saturday called for self-reliance while addressing a rally in Gujarat. He called India’s dependence on other countries as the nations “biggest enemy".

“Today, India is moving forward with the spirit of ‘Vishwabandhu’. We have no major enemy in the world. Our biggest enemy is our dependence on other countries. This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat this enemy of India, the enemy of dependence," he said.

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