The administration of President Donald Trump on Monday released a proposed regulation seeking to formalise a more than $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Trump introduced the fee last year, but its implementation has been blocked by the courts.

The fee, initially imposed through a temporary proclamation, significantly increases the cost of H-1B visas, which are widely used by technology companies, educational institutions and research organisations to hire skilled foreign workers.

A federal judge ruled in June that the $100,000 H-1B visa fee was unlawful and blocked the Trump administration from collecting it.

A Boston-based appeals court is reviewing the decision, while another court is considering whether a Washington, D.C., judge correctly dismissed a challenge to the fee brought by a major business group.

Trump’s 2025 proclamation introducing the fee is set to expire in September, one year after it was issued.

However, the proclamation directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to establish regulations that would make the fee permanent.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed a $103,265 fee for new H-1B visas.

The proposal was posted online in the Federal Register on Monday and is scheduled for formal publication on Tuesday, starting a 30-day period for public comments.

The rule could be finalised by the end of the year.

The H-1B visa programme allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers with specialised training. It provides 65,000 visas annually, along with an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees.

The visas are generally approved for periods ranging from three to six years.