A bipartisan group of 100 lawmakers sent a letter on Wednesday to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urging an exemption for the health care sector from the Trump administration’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee.

Led by Representatives Yvette D. Clarke, a New York Democrat, and Michael Lawler, a New York Republican, the letter says that health care providers rely on international workers for critical roles, including physicians, clinical laboratory staff and other specialists.

“Imposing a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions will exacerbate hospitals’ existing staffing challenges and could push chronically underfunded hospitals to their financial brink,” the letter reads.

“We urge you to create a health care sector exemption to prevent additional strain on the health care workforce,” it says.

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The Trump administration is slapping a $100,000 fee on certain H-1B visa petitions as part of efforts to tighten control over the skilled worker program. The measure is intended to curb program misuse and encourage employers to hire higher-paid American workers. Supporters say H-1B visas help fill critical labor shortages in sectors such as health care, technology, and engineering, while critics argue the program can displace U.S. workers and undercut American wages.

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Each fiscal year, 65,000 visas are available under the regular cap, with an additional 20,000 visas reserved for applicants holding advanced degrees from U.S. institutions. Certain employers, such as universities and nonprofit research organizations, are exempt from the cap.

Legal challenges to the Trump administration’s $100,000 H‑1B visa fee continue to progress. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., upheld the fee’s legality in December 2025 in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Association of American Universities, allowing it to remain in effect for now.

Following that decision, the Chamber and its partners filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit at the end of 2025. The appeals court has agreed to fast‑track the case and set an expedited briefing schedule. The appellate court’s decision will determine whether the fee stays in place, is blocked, or modified, and could influence how future H‑1B petitions are processed. Other separate lawsuits challenging the fee are also pending

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