Bloomberg News reported on the 19th (local time) that the United States plans to significantly increase the fees for the H-1B visa, also known as the 'professional visa,' to $100,000 (approximately 140 million Korean won).

According to the report, President Donald Trump is expected to sign a proclamation to overhaul the H-1B visa program as early as today.

The H-1B visa applies to professional occupations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, with an annual issuance limit of 85,000 cases through a lottery system. It allows for an initial stay of three years, with the possibility of extension and application for permanent residency.

President Trump holds the view that the issuance of H-1B visas takes away jobs from Americans. The argument is that companies bring in foreign talent at lower costs by utilizing H-1B visas, which have a high proportion of Chinese and Indian recipients, thereby encroaching on American jobs.

Furthermore, an internal White House document obtained by Bloomberg diagnosed that the 'abuse' of H-1B visas is a factor preventing Americans from building careers in STEM fields.

In response, President Trump plans to direct the Secretary of Labor to initiate the regulatory process to revise the prevailing wage levels for the H-1B program, Bloomberg reported.

Specifically, recognizing the side effect of staffing agencies applying for visas in large numbers due to the lottery system of H-1B visas, the plan is to significantly increase the application fee, currently around $1,000, to $100,000.

Previously, Joseph Edlow, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Department of Homeland Security, stated in an interview with the New York Times (NYT) in July that they would change the H-1B visa issuance system to strengthen scrutiny.

Regarding the government's new policy, Bloomberg stated, "This comes in conjunction with a series of fee increases for work permits, asylum applications, and humanitarian protection stipulated in the president's tax bill," and added that the purpose is to "secure funds for acquiring new detention facilities, hiring immigration enforcement officers, and expanding border wall construction."

People visiting the U.S. Embassy to apply for a visa. Seoul = Yonhap News.

Yonhap News