Employers Seeking Foreign Workers to Feel Squeeze of Fee Hikes

US companies that rely on foreign workers to fill their labor needs face major sticker shock if and when the government’s proposed visa fee increases become finalized.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services hasn’t updated its fees since 2016. But the scale of the proposed increases in the employment visa context, outlined in a proposed rule this week, is drawing consternation from businesses.

Much of the proposed increase for employment-based visas is driven by a $600 asylum program fee as USCIS looks to shift the ongoing cost of its humanitarian mission to employers.

Those fee increases, if finalized, could have a ...