By Onyx Bugett | TalkLife News
Published September 19, 2026
The White House has extended for another year an executive order seeking to impose a fee of at least $100,000 on new H-1B skilled-worker visas. The proposal would represent a dramatic increase from the several thousand dollars employers ordinarily pay through the existing process.
Here is the important distinction: the order has been extended, but a federal judge has blocked the government from collecting the fee. That injunction remains in place while the administration appeals.
Who could be affected
The H-1B program allows employers to hire foreign professionals for specialized positions, including jobs in technology, engineering, medicine and higher education. Current visa holders, renewals and certain foreign graduates already in the United States are exempt from the proposed increase.
Supporters of tighter restrictions argue that the program can be used to reduce labor costs or displace American workers. Employers and universities say the visas help fill specialized positions when qualified workers are difficult to recruit domestically.
Why the court case matters
The legal dispute is not only about the amount of the fee. It also concerns whether the executive branch can impose such a large charge without authorization from Congress.
Until the appeals court rules or the injunction is changed, businesses should not treat the proposed $100,000 charge as a universally active fee.
Confirmed facts versus political claims
The order’s extension and the judicial block are confirmed. Arguments about whether the visa program primarily fills shortages or suppresses wages remain disputed policy positions, and the effects vary across industries and employers.
Source: Reuters, September 18, 2026.
Featured image: Tom Barrett via Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License.