Singaporeans planning to work temporarily in the United States under the H-1B1 visa will not be impacted by a new US$100,000 fee introduced for the H-1B visa, the US Embassy in Singapore confirmed.
In a statement posted on Facebook on September 29, the embassy clarified that President Donald Trump’s recent proclamation on September 19 applies only to the H-1B visa, which is for skilled foreign workers, not the H-1B1 visa.
What is H-1B1 visa?
H-1B1 visa is specifically for citizens of Singapore and Chile and allows them to work in specialty jobs, like engineering or medicine, in the US for up to one year.
Unlike the H-1B visa, which is renewable and can eventually lead to permanent residency, the H-1B1 visa does not allow workers to stay in the US permanently.
New $100k proclamation on H-1B visa
President Trump’s administration has stepped up its crackdown on immigration, particularly on the H-1B visa program, which allows US companies to hire skilled foreign workers when they can not find qualified Americans for certain high-skilled jobs.
On September 19, Trump signed an order imposing a $100,000 fee on companies applying for new H-1B visas.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained the reasoning behind the new fee, calling the H-1B visa the “most abused” immigration program.
He said the fee would discourage companies from relying on foreign workers and push them to hire recent graduates from US universities instead.
Lutnick argued that companies would no longer find it financially viable to pay both the government fee and the salaries of foreign workers.
While the new fee will affect H-1B visa holders, it does not apply to the H-1B1 visa for Singaporeans and Chileans, means those looking to work in the US temporarily under H-1B1 will not face the additional costs.