Small businesses that rely on specialized talent have long turned to the H-1B visa as the primary route to hire foreign professionals. The new requirement that employers pay a $100,000 fee for many H-1B cases filed after September 21, 2025 has changed that calculation. For large corporations, this new cost may be absorbable but for startups, boutique firms, local clinics, research labs, engineering shops, technology innovators, and other small employers, the fee can make the H-1B category functionally unavailable. Many employers who would ordinarily pursue H-1B sponsorship are now searching for realistic alternatives. This shift does not eliminate the possibility of hiring foreign talent. It does require creative, early planning to determine whether another visa classification aligns with the company’s needs and the candidate’s background. The goal is to match the role, the qualifications, and the business structure to a category that supports employment without triggering the $100,000 H-1B entry fee.
Read moreUS Expected to Announce Measures to Ease Visas for Skilled Indian Workers
According to a Reuter’s exclusive report the Biden administration is preparing to “facilitate the residence and employment of Indians in the country” by announcing new regulation that will permit “a select group of Indian and other foreign workers on H-1B visas…to renew their visas within the United States, eliminating the need to travel abroad.” The report reaffirms our previously reported news from The Department of State’s (“DOS”) February announcement introducing the prospect of launching a pilot program for H and L visa holders to renew their visas in the US, instead of having to travel abroad.
Read morePilot Program for H and L Visa Renewal in the US Announced
Keeping in line with its efforts to improve visa processing backlogs at the consulates and embassies around the world, the Department of State (“DOS”) announced a plan to launch a pilot program for H and L visa holders to renew their visas in the US, instead of having to travel abroad. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary for visa services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, shared the news of the program that should be initiated later this year.
In 2004, the DOS discontinued domestic visa reissuance service for certain nonimmigrant visas in the United States. Restarting the program by permitting certain H and L visa holders to revalidate their visas domestically, rather than having to travel internationally to renew their visas, is the latest means DOS is planning to take to alleviate the visa application backlogs that developed at consulates as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will keep you updated as more details surrounding the launch of the pilot program become available.