Faculty respond to federal H-1B visa fee proposal

Following the September announcement from the White House that a $100,000 fee would be placed on new H-1B applications, University administration and international students and faculty feared how the policy could reshape hiring and research dynamics.

The White House clarified that those already in the U.S. under another visa status, like the F-1 Visa, would not be required to pay the fee.

At Stanford, international researchers, students, and staff make up 9% of undergraduates and 35% of graduates. The Bechtel International Center, as well as the University as a whole, said they are working towards understanding these effects.

“Stanford has a long history of welcoming scholars from around the world who bring unique perspectives to our work, helping us find innovative solutions to the world’s problems,” director of University public relations and communications Charlene Gage wrote to The Daily on behalf of the Bechtel Center. “We will continue to study evolving details of the H-1B proclamation to determine its impact.”

Simone Paci, a professor of political science, held an H-1B visa after coming to the U.S. from Italy.

“Universities like Stanford rely heavily on H-1B visas” Paci said. “Because universities are exempt from the annual H-1B lottery, most foreign scholars working here are on that visa.” 

The initial proposal raised fears that universities would have to pay $100,000 per hire. Paci and other international faculty reflected on the fact that there are huge repercussions to a change like that.

“That was very unexpected, sudden and painful for a lot of people,” Paci said. “You have PhD students who have been training here for years to become professors at universities in the U.S.”

The update clarifying that those in the U.S. under another visa status would be exempt from the fee did assuage some of those fears, Paci said.

“It now seems that the fee would only apply to applicants outside the U.S. who aren’t already on another visa,” Paci said. “That’s huge because it means Stanford students currently here on F-1 or OPT programs likely wouldn’t be affected.” 

The University continues to evolve its response as it examines the impacts and motivations of the fee changes, according to Gage.

“We are studying the details of the proclamation to determine its impact while providing guidance to our community,” she wrote. 

International relations professor, Aiko Takeuchi, suggested that the proposal reflects ongoing change in the U.S. 

“From a broader perspective, this also sends a message about how citizenship is defined,” Takeuchi said. “Some countries now recruit migrants through investment — if you pay or buy property, you can gain citizenship. The U.S. seems to be moving closer to that model.”

Immigration patterns have also shifted, reflecting the evolving public perception of citizenship and contributions to the U.S. According to Takeuchi, the H-1B visa changes seem to have a disproportionate effect on Asian countries, highlighting potential biases in the population as well. 

“If you look at national discourse over the past few years, there’s been backlash against diversity and immigration,” Takeuchi said. “Migration patterns have changed — there’s been a significant increase in immigrants from non-Western countries.”

As the policy evolves along with the public’s perception of immigration, universities like Stanford can play a key role in analyzing the consequences for international scholars and researchers.

“If this new guidance holds, it could end up sparing U.S.-trained students, but it still raises questions about how accessible the U.S. remains to talent from abroad,” Paci said.

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