A proclamation President Donald Trump signed last week slapping a lofty price tag on new H-1B visa applications is shaking up a system Wisconsin’s universities and hundreds of companies use each year to hire thousands of highly skilled workers, researchers and educators from abroad.
The new policy requires employers to pay a one-time $100,000 fee to the federal government for an application to sponsor an employee through the H-1B visa program. Before the administration’s new policy, the application fee was $215 plus other small expenses, according to The Associated Press.
The new fee, which took effect Sunday, does not apply to existing visa holders.
The H-1B visa program, which started in 1990, is a competitive system that allows employers to temporarily hire professionals from abroad for “specialty occupations.” They must have a bachelor’s degree or higher and they can only stay in the country for a maximum of six years, including renewals.