The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would impose a $103,265 fee on new H-1B visas (a programme that grants up to 85,000 annual work permits to highly skilled foreign professionals, widely used in the tech, research, and education sectors). The proposal formalises a fee Trump first introduced by presidential proclamation in September 2024, which a federal judge struck down as illegal in June and which is set to expire next month. The rule opens a 30-day public comment period and could be finalised before year's end, though it faces ongoing legal challenges from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Democratic-led states, and a coalition of employers and unions who argue the administration lacks congressional authority to impose such charges.