Federal authorities aim to dramatically boost fees for thousands of H-1B visa renewal applications by expanding a $4,000 charge to cover all renewal applications by companies with large numbers of employees on the visa.
The H-1B, an employment permit intended for foreign workers with specialized skills, is heavily used by Silicon Valley’s technology companies, but questionable use of the visa has mired it in controversy.
Under the proposal issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, renewals involving a change in job title or a significant switch in duties would also be newly subject to the fee.
The change would affect companies employing at least 50 workers, with more than half of them on the H-1B or on the related but less widely used L-1 visa for executives and managers.
Currently, the fee for such businesses has applied to new H-1B applications and H-1B renewal applications involving a change of employer.
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