US Mulls Key Changes to Visa Fees

The United States is preparing proposals to introduce or revise fees for H-1B work visas and the F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme. According to immigration law firm Fragomen, the proposals have been prepared by the US Department of Homeland Security and are currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The exact fee amounts have not yet been disclosed.

Fragomen said the new OPT fee proposal was sent to the OMB for review on August 20, while the H-1B fee proposal was reportedly reviewed and cleared on August 19. There have been reports that the OPT application fee could be as high as $100,000, but Fragomen clarified that this figure has not been finalised and is based only on media reports. Details of both proposals remain confidential, leaving uncertainty over the final fee structure.