>”Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a posting on X, formerly Twitter. “This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.”
>On Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters that the fee would be an annual cost for companies. But a White House official said Saturday that it’s a “one-time fee.” Asked if Lutnick’s comments created confusion, the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the new fee “currently does not apply to renewals but that policy is under discussion.”
>More than 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders are from India. H-1B visas require at least a bachelor’s degree.
>Lutnick said the change will likely result in far fewer H-1B visas than the 85,000 annual cap allows because “it’s just not economic anymore.”
And Lutnick’s comments that the fee will work as a new, *de facto* lower cap might work against the administration in court.
>”The president has no legal authority to tax American visas,” said Michael Clemens, a George Mason University economist who studies immigration. “He has the authority to charge reasonable fees for cost recovery, not set fees at $100,000, or $100 million or whatever suits his personal … arbitrary capricious whims.
>”If the president feels that H-1B visas are harmful, he can work with the people’s representatives in Congress to reform the laws that regulate those visas. His choice to legislate by proclamation subverts our entire immigration governance system,” said Clemens, also a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
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>”Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a posting on X, formerly Twitter. “This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.”
>On Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters that the fee would be an annual cost for companies. But a White House official said Saturday that it’s a “one-time fee.” Asked if Lutnick’s comments created confusion, the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the new fee “currently does not apply to renewals but that policy is under discussion.”
>More than 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders are from India. H-1B visas require at least a bachelor’s degree.
>Lutnick said the change will likely result in far fewer H-1B visas than the 85,000 annual cap allows because “it’s just not economic anymore.”
And Lutnick’s comments that the fee will work as a new, *de facto* lower cap might work against the administration in court.
>”The president has no legal authority to tax American visas,” said Michael Clemens, a George Mason University economist who studies immigration. “He has the authority to charge reasonable fees for cost recovery, not set fees at $100,000, or $100 million or whatever suits his personal … arbitrary capricious whims.
>”If the president feels that H-1B visas are harmful, he can work with the people’s representatives in Congress to reform the laws that regulate those visas. His choice to legislate by proclamation subverts our entire immigration governance system,” said Clemens, also a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
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