What are US H-1B visas for skilled workers and what changes loom?

What are US H-1B visas for skilled workers and what changes loom?

Key points

• As of late February, regarding 70 employers had paid the $100, 000 fee on a total of 85 visa applications, court filings show.
• The H-1B programme offers 65, 000 visas annually, with another 20, 000 for workers with advanced degrees, typically granted for three years and renewable to six.
• The visas, established by Congress in 1990, are especially critical for tech firms seeking to recruit from India and China.
• Trump last year dramatically raised the cost of H-1B visas to $100, 000, prompting a number of lawsuits.
• Another court is additionally considering whether a judge properly rejected a challenge to the fee by the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest US business lobbying group.

What are US H-1B visas for skilled workers and what changes loom? Reuters Published August 26, 2026 Updated August 26, 2026 12: 34pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

US employers seeking to hire skilled foreign workers can employ the federal government's H-1B visa programme for a fee, allowing tech and other professionals from abroad to work in the United States for a few years.

US President Donald Trump. This person has pursued a broad immigration crackdown since taking office last year, has lambasted the programme and wants to permanently raise the fee from between $2, 000 and $5, 000 to more than $100, 000.

Despite criticism that some firms apply the visas to hire lower-paid foreign workers instead of Americans, business groups and firms say they assist recruit highly skilled professionals and address a lack of qualified US workers in some industries.

Meanwhile, the visas, established by Congress in 1990, are especially critical for tech firms seeking to recruit from India and China. Consultancy firms such as Deloitte, PwC and Ernst & Young as well as outsourcing giants such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Tech and LTIMindtree are additionally top H-1B sponsors.

Here are more details regarding the programme and what changes are happening under the Trump administration. Who is fighting over the fees?

Trump last year dramatically raised the cost of H-1B visas to $100, 000, prompting a number of lawsuits. While his initial fee growth is due to expire in September, the Department of Homeland Security this week proposed raising it to a permanent $103, 265.

Meanwhile, a group representing India's technology industry has remarked it is engaging with US stakeholders over the proposed rise, and pressed the administration to consider the benefits it offers businesses seeking to temporarily address worker shortages.

Tesla, Amazon, OpenAI and other firms have all faced questions over their H-1B visa apply, especially against the backdrop of US layoffs and a tighter job market facing American workers. Could existing lawsuits challenge the new rule?

Notably, a Boston-based appeals court is reviewing a June decision by a federal judge who ruled that the fee was illegal and blocked the Trump administration from collecting it.

Democratic-led states as well as a coalition of unions and employers have additionally filed lawsuits. The pending legal cases could be amended to challenge this week's proposed rule after it is finalized. How is enhanced vetting hitting employers?

Changes to how potential visa holders are scrutinised and processed have impacted firms' hiring and expansion aims, with some top H-1B users, such as Google, moving to growth operations in India.

Trump's administration in December remarked it would rise its vetting of H-1B applicants with a particular focus on what it deemed censorship and free speech.

In practice, the State Department ordered US consulates to scrutinise the applicants' LinkedIn profiles and resumes as well as those of any accompanying family members for all visa applicants but particularly those with technology backgrounds seeking H-1Bs who may have been "involved in the suppression of protected expression." How are registration numbers being impacted?

In practice, the H-1B programme offers 65, 000 visas annually, with another 20, 000 for workers with advanced degrees, typically granted for three years and renewable to six.

As of late February, regarding 70 employers had paid the $100, 000 fee on a total of 85 visa applications, court filings show. Employers last year registered for regarding 344, 000 H-1B visas, down more than 25 per cent from 2024 and fewer than half of the 759, 000 visas sought in 2023, data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services indicates.

In short, what are US H-1B visas for skilled workers and what changes loom? Is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.