USCIS Issues $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee Requirements & Exceptions
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published guidance as to who must pay $100,000 to obtain an H-1B visa after President Trump issued a proclamation in which H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025 are required to be accompanied by an additional $100,000 payment as a condition of eligibility. The proclamation applies to new H-1B petitions filed at or after 12:01 am EST on September 21, 2025, on behalf of beneficiaries who are outside the United States and do not have a valid H-1B visa, or the petition requests consular notification, port of entry notification, or pre-flight inspection. The proclamation also applies if the petitioner is deemed ineligible to request a change in status, amendment, or extension of stay. The proclamation does not apply to any previously issued and current valid H-1B visas and does not prevent any holder of a current H-1B visa from traveling in and out of the United States. Additionally, the proclamation does not apply to a petition filed after September 21, 2025 if the petition filed is requesting an amendment, change of status, or extension of a stay where the petitioner is granted the amendment, change, or extension. Petitioners must pay $100,000 prior to filing a petition with USCIS. Petitioners must submit a copy of proof of payment from pay.gov or evidence of an exception granted by the Secretary of Homeland Security (the “Secretary”) at the time of the filing of the H-1B Petition. Exceptions to the $100,000 payment may be granted by the Secretary “in the extraordinary rare circumstance” where the Secretary has determined that the petitioner’s presence in the United States as an H-1B worker is in the national interest, that no American worker is available to fill the role, where the petitioner does not “pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States,” and that requiring the petitioning employer to make the payment on the petitioner’s behalf would significantly undermine the interests of the United States.
The NCQA at Work: NCQA Changes to Medicaid Sanction and Exclusion Verification Requirements for Payor Enrollment/Delegated Credentialing
For those health care entities that are performing payor enrollment/delegated credentialing, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (“NCQA”) issued a policy change to its Medicaid sanctions and exclusion verification requirements. The NCQA clarified that it will no longer require organizations accredited by it to use the State Medicaid agency as a mandatory source to verify and monitor Medicaid sanctions and exclusions. Prior to the policy change, NCQA‑accredited organizations were required to use the State Medicaid Agency as a source for verification. Following the policy change, to verify and monitor Medicaid sanctions, NCQA‑accredited organizations may now use any of the following sources:
- State Medicaid agency
- AMA Physician Master File
- Federation of State Medical Boards (“FSMB”)
- National Practitioner Data Bank (“NPDB”)
- SAM.gov
To verify and monitor Medicaid exclusions, NCQA-accredited organizations may now use any of the following sources:
- State Medicaid agency
- List of Excluded Individauls Entities (“LEIE”) maintained by the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”)
- NPDB
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