The Trump administration has issued an update to the president’s recent proclamation about new visa fees, with implications for current international students and faculty.

Last month, the Trump administration announced that new applications for H-1B visas will only be accepted if accompanied by a $100,000 payment, stirring controversy and raising questions about the future of international students and faculty at US institutions of higher education.

On Monday, the government issued a clarification of the policy, stating that the fee would not apply to current visa holders already in the US, and that the fee will not have to be paid when a visa holder applies to change the type of visa they have (e.g., from an F-1 visa for non-US students to H-1B status).

This is good news for current international students and faculty with visas. But there are still questions about how the policy will affect prospective international students and hires, the extent to which universities and colleges or other institutions will pay the $100,000 fee, and whether the new policy will withstand legal challenges.

Below is the relevant text from Monday’s update:

The Proclamation applies to new H-1B petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025, on behalf of beneficiaries who are outside the United States and do not have a valid H-1B visa. The Proclamation also applies if a petition filed at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025, requests consular notification, port of entry notification, or pre-flight inspection for an alien in the United States…

The Proclamation does not apply to any previously issued and currently valid H-1B visas, or any petitions submitted prior to 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025. In addition, the Proclamation does not prevent any holder of a current H-1B visa, or any alien beneficiary following petition approval, from traveling in and out of the United States…

The Proclamation also does not apply to a petition filed at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025, that is requesting an amendment, change of status, or extension of stay for an alien inside the United States where the alien is granted such amendment, change, or extension. Further, an alien beneficiary of such petition will not be considered to be subject to the payment if he or she subsequently departs the United States and applies for a visa based on the approved petition and/or seeks to reenter the United States on a current H-1B visa.

You can find the policy here.

(via John Symons)