Trump Administration Targets H-1B Extensions with New Fees

Under current regulations, companies with more than 50 employees—at least half of whom hold these specific visas—pay an additional $4,000 for H-1B petitions or $4,500 for L-1 petitions. These costs are currently triggered only during initial filings or when an employee changes employers. The proposed amendment closes this gap, mandating that the fees apply to every extension petition filed.

The scale of the impact is substantial. During fiscal year 2025, US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 406,685 H-1B petitions. Of that total, 291,542 involved continuing employment rather than first-time entries. Indian nationals represent the largest cohort in this bracket, securing 226,359 approvals—nearly 78% of all renewals. Large-scale technology firms face the brunt of this financial adjustment. Data from the National Foundation for American Policy indicates that Amazon topped the list with 14,532 approved petitions for continuing employment, followed by companies including TCS, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google. This proposal arrives on the heels of a failed attempt by the administration to implement a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, which was blocked by a federal appeals court.