US tech industry pushes back against $100,000 H-1B visa fee proposal

The US tech industry has formally objected to a government plan to impose fees of more than $100,000 per H-1B specialty occupation visa application, warning the measure could undermine American competitiveness in the AI race against China by cutting off the flow of foreign talent.

TechNet, a trade group whose members include major US technology companies, filed a public comment letter calling on the Department of Homeland Security to withdraw a proposed H-1B fee rule the agency put out for public comment last month, according to Yonhap and the Wall Street Journal.

Under the proposed rule, companies would be required to pay $103,265 per worker for most new H-1B visa petitions subject to the annual cap. That fee would come on top of existing charges already in place.

TechNet said the proposal "undermines the president's efforts to emphasize America's global competitiveness" and criticized it as a policy that could hobble the United States in its AI competition with China.

"What American companies need to lead global innovation, build successful businesses and create prosperity in American communities is the world's best talent," the group said. "This proposal would prevent American companies from securing that talent."

The group also expressed concern that smaller companies would bear a disproportionately heavy burden from the fee increase.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and others have previously said that roughly half of the world's AI researchers are Chinese, warning that policies restricting high-skilled immigration could backfire on the United States.

The H-1B visa program was established by Congress in 1990 and serves as the primary pathway for high-skilled foreign professionals to work in the United States. Visa holders may apply for permanent residency over time, subject to certain conditions.