There was a report that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed charging more than $100,000 in fees to applicants for the H-1B visa, known as the so-called "professional visa."
According to Reuters on the 24th (local time), the Department of Homeland Security presented a plan in the Federal Register that would require a $103,265 fee (about 143 million won) for H-1B visa applications.
A 30-day public comment period begins today, and the wire service said a final decision appears likely around the end of the year.
This is a response to a proclamation that U.S. President Donald Trump released in September last year setting the H-1B visa application fee at $100,000. The proclamation is set to expire next month, and the Department of Homeland Security appears to have prepared an official system in line with that.
If the plan is finalized, H-1B fees will rise sharply. Previously, the fees were known to be capped at $5,000 (about 6.92 million won).
The H-1B visa applies to professional occupations in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. An initial three-year stay is permitted, and extensions and permanent residency applications are also possible. A total of 85,000 are issued annually by lottery.
The Trump administration had pushed to restrict visa issuance on the grounds that highly skilled foreign workers were taking jobs from Americans. However, the $100,000 fee has been repeatedly blocked in U.S. federal courts.
For the 2024 fiscal year, India ranked first as the country of origin of approved H-1B workers, with 71%. China was second with 11.7%. Korea ranked fifth with 1%.