The Trump administration’s decision to raise the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000 has sent shockwaves through hospitals and schools across the United States, where thousands of foreign professionals form the backbone of essential services.
According to CBS News, which reported on October 31st, the American Hospital Association (AHA) warned that hospitals nationwide may be forced to suspend the hiring of foreign nurses due to soaring costs. Few medical facilities can afford the $100,000 visa fee per nurse, leaving rural and mid-sized hospitals on the brink of crisis.
Jamie White, chief nursing officer at Frederick Health Hospital in Maryland, told CBS News, “If a hospital has to pay $100,000 to hire one nurse, it’s simply unaffordable. Right now, hospital stability comes first.”
The education sector faces similar turmoil. The National Education Association (NEA) reported that 506 school districts in California employed about 2,300 foreign teachers through H-1B visas during the last fiscal year. Under the new policy, most districts say they cannot shoulder such costs for even a single overseas hire.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September raising the application fee from $1,000 to $100,000. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) later clarified on October 20 that the increased fee would not apply to those already residing in the U.S. or changing visa status internally. However, this exemption excluded foreign medical and education professionals — the very workers many institutions depend on.
The AHA had sent a letter in late September urging the administration to waive fees for foreign healthcare workers, warning that the policy would devastate hospitals in rural and underserved areas. Despite those pleas, no additional relief has been announced.
The limited scope of the exemption has intensified fears that staff shortages will worsen, particularly in smaller communities that rely heavily on international workers.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
