White House: H-1B $100,000 Fee Will Only Affect New Applicants

After Trump announced a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas in an executive order on Friday, stakeholders scrambled to understand who exactly it impacts.

A White House official told Business Insider on Saturday that the fee will only apply to new applicants, not current lawful H-1B visa holders.

“This is a one-time fee that applies only to the petition,” a White House official told Business Insider in an email. “It ONLY applies to new visas, not renewals or current visa holders. It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle.”

Trump’s executive order does not include such explicit language. The official’s statement that the fee will not apply to renewals also contradicts what Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on Friday in the Oval Office.

“Renewals, first times, the company needs to decide,” Lutnick said in response to a question about the fee’s application. “Do they want — is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000 a year payment to the government or they should head home, and they should go hire an American.”

Amid the uncertainty, Amazon and Microsoft have urged H-1B visa holders who are now abroad to return to the United States before Trump’s order goes into effect on September 21.

“If you have H-1B or H-4 status and are outside the U.S.: Try to return before tomorrow’s deadline if possible,” Amazon said in a memo to staff on Friday. “We realize this is short notice but returning soon is advisable and you should make every effort possible to clear U.S. customs before 12:00 a.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. PDT) on Sunday, September 21, 2025.”

Microsoft sent a similar notice to its employees.

Trump and Lutnick said the executive order was needed to prevent abuse of the H-1B visa program. Tech companies have historically used H-1B visas to hire skilled foreign workers.