The Trump administration is planning to impose new fees targeting H-1B and F-1 optional practical training (OPT) programmes. 

The US Department of Homeland Security is planning to increase the H-1B visa fee to $103,265, the Federal Register posted on Monday.

If the proposed regulations are implemented, they could raise the expenses of working in the US for foreign nationals, for students who are transitioning from universities to workplaces and for employers sponsoring H-1 workers, according to Fragomen, a corporate immigration services firm.

The shift is important for Indians because they account for more than 70 per cent of all H-1B visa beneficiaries. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 399,402 H-1B petitions in 2024, out of which Indian-born beneficiaries claimed 71 per cent.

The immigration law firm Fragomen stated in a note that the proposals have already moved through the White House Office of Management and Budget. 

“A proposed OPT fee rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on August 20 and is now under review. A proposed rule to impose a fee on certain H-1B petitions was received by OMB and cleared review on the same day, August 19,” the note said.

Fragomen noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) might propose a $100,000 fee on OPT applications, and the proposed H1-B fee could be tied to the ongoing lawsuit over the administration’s previously blocked $100,000 H-1B petition fee.

However, the contents of the proposals remain confidential and will be released officially later.

H-1B Workers Could Lose 60-Day Lifeline

Apart from the new fees, earlier this month, the DHS proposed eliminating the 60-day grace period for unemployed H-1B workers, forcing them to leave the United States immediately or face status violations if the rule is finalised.

A move like this could require affected workers and their dependants to leave the country almost immediately.

If the regulation is finalised, it would remove the existing 60-day grace period for certain workers and their dependants when the employment on which their immigration status is based ends before their authorised period of stay expires.

More than 5.2 million people of Indian origin live in the US, according to recent estimates based on US Census data.