<h1>Presidential proclamation imposes $100,000 annual H-1B fee for future petitions, sparking legal and economic challenge concerns</h1> A new presidential proclamation imposes a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, limited by its terms to petitions filed after the proclamation's effective date; petitions filed before that date and current visa holders reentering from abroad are excluded, according to the immigration agency. A diaspora organization warned the fee could substantially reduce H-1B admissions, with downstream legal and economic consequences for universities, startups, research, and patent creation. Potential litigation or legislative challenges could focus on the scope of executive authority to impose visa fees, retroactivity, equal protection or administrative procedure grounds, and on statutory interpretations of employer-sponsored nonimmigrant classifications.