The United States government has opened a 30-day public comment period regarding a proposed $103,265 fee for companies sponsoring foreign skilled workers under the H-1B visa program. This move follows a federal judge’s ruling that struck down previous fee proposals, citing legislative overreach. If enacted, employers would pay the fee upfront for each application, excluding higher education and non-profit research institutions. While officials state the fee aims to recover operational costs, critics argue the high price point is prohibitively expensive and lacks a guarantee of petition approval.