The new fee, which took effect Sunday, does not apply to existing visa holders.
The H-1B visa program, which started in 1990, is a competitive system that allows employers to temporarily hire professionals from abroad for “specialty occupations.” They must have a bachelor’s degree or higher and they can only stay in the country for a maximum of six years, including renewals.
Over the last decade, 60% or more of H-1B employees approved each year worked a computer-related job, but other top fields include architecture, engineering and education, according to the Pew Research Center.
More than 2,000 Wisconsin employers have used the program to hire nearly 30,000 employees in the last decade, averaging about 2,600 a year, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
The government grants 85,000 new H-1B visas through a lottery each fiscal year, but universities and nonprofits are exempt from that cap.