Universities nationwide may be unable to continue hiring qualified researchers, professors and medical practitioners following the Trump Administration’s new fee for H-1B visa applications.
President Trump issued a presidential proclamation on Sept. 19, placing a $100,000 fee on any new petitions for H-1B visas following Sept. 21, 2025.
United States employers typically obtain H-1B visas for highly-skilled international employees working in engineering, technology, finance and medical fields.
According to the Miami Herald, 2,589 university workers have required an H-1B visa in Florida in the past five years. The University of Miami accounts for 13% of that total, or approximately 336 people.
In the first three quarters of the 2025 fiscal year, UM filed for 137 H-1B visas.
H-1B visas historically cost between $2,000 and $5,000, meaning universities could be spending $10 to $20 million to maintain current hiring levels. However, it is more likely that sharp cutbacks will take place on hiring talented foreign workers for research, clinical care and STEM courses.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Bruce Baker, the chair of the department of teaching and learning at UM said, “Universities will most certainly take a hit from this policy change.”
The majority of H-1B visa workers at UM are among biochemists and biophysicists, followed by health specialities teachers, medical scientists and molecular and cellular biologists.
Students are concerned that they could be facing a decrease in access to talented professors in the future because of the high concentration of foreign workers employed in these fields.
“The STEM departments at UM could definitely struggle from a loss of international professors,” said Siri Ravi, a sophomore studying microbiology and immunology. “It was interesting to experience [international professors’] teaching styles because they’re different from professors I’ve had before.”
Science students also reported that it is already challenging to acquire research opportunities with the current, full staff of professors.
“A lot of professors are really stingy about using their name to get research opportunities. They are very careful about saying yes to requests for recommendations,” said a chemistry student who wished to remain unnamed.
If UM has to cut back on the number of international professors it hires due to H-1B visa fees, students may have a harder time contributing to research. A smaller staff in the STEM departments would have adverse effects on the student body, seeing as the School of Nursing and Health Studies is home to approximately 1,500 students. Additionally, the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college at UM with around 35% of undergraduate students, many of whom study biology, chemistry or computer science.
International professors wanting to work in the U.S are not the only group that could be negatively affected by a high H-1B visa fee. International students looking to stay in the country after graduating from UM may also face challenges.
“Everyone on a student visa will have to apply for a different visa because it expires when you graduate,” said an international student who wishes to remain unnamed.
For instance, graduating international students with job offers in engineering, architecture or medical professions have the option of applying for an H-1B visa. If they can not afford the $100,000 fee, they would have to look into other options.