The Department of Homeland Security rolled out a new H-1B visa fee on Monday: $103,000 per application. The same day, news broke that the State Department plans to revoke up to 200,000 asylum seeker visas in what the Associated Press calls the largest mass visa revocation in US history.

The timing isn’t a coincidence. More than a year into President Trump’s second term, these moves show how the administration is using immigration policy as a blunt instrument across multiple fronts.

The H-1B Fee Hike

The $103,000 fee represents a dramatic increase for the visa program that tech companies rely on to hire foreign workers. Previously, the standard H-1B filing fees totaled a few thousand dollars depending on company size. This isn’t a modest adjustment. It’s pricing meant to restrict access.

DHS has the authority to set fees for immigration benefits, but a jump this large will almost certainly face legal challenges. The Administrative Procedure Act requires agencies to justify their fee-setting through notice-and-comment rulemaking. If DHS skipped that process or provided inadequate justification, expect lawsuits from tech industry groups and immigration advocates.

The fee also creates a clear business incentive: it favors large companies that can absorb six-figure costs per hire over startups and smaller firms. Whether that disparity violates equal protection principles is a harder case to make, but it’s worth watching.

The Asylum Visa Revocations

The planned revocation of 200,000 asylum visas is legally messier. Asylum seekers typically receive temporary legal status while their cases are processed. Revoking those visas en masse raises due process questions.

The Immigration and Nationality Act gives the State Department broad authority to revoke visas, but asylum cases involve additional protections. People with pending or approved asylum claims have statutory rights to remain in the country while their cases proceed. Mass revocations could violate those protections, particularly if done without individual case review.

The AP’s characterization as “the largest mass visa revocation in US history” matters here. Courts tend to scrutinize unprecedented executive actions more closely. If the administration is relying on emergency authority or executive orders rather than existing statutory frameworks, that scrutiny intensifies.

What Happens Next

The H-1B fee takes effect immediately according to DHS, though implementation details remain unclear. Companies with pending applications may challenge whether the fee applies retroactively.

The asylum revocations face a tougher road. Immigrant rights organizations will almost certainly file for preliminary injunctions. Federal courts have repeatedly blocked Trump administration immigration policies when they conflict with statutory protections or lack proper procedural foundations.

The administration’s stated goal is clear: increase deportation numbers. But the legal tools available are narrower than the policy objectives. That gap is where litigation lives.

For tech companies, the calculus just changed. An H-1B hire now costs $103,000 before salary, relocation, or legal fees. That’s enough to reshape hiring practices, push more work overseas, or accelerate investment in AI tools to reduce headcount needs.

For asylum seekers with revoked visas, the immediate question is whether they face deportation proceedings or can challenge the revocations in court. The answer will depend on how the State Department implements this policy and whether courts step in first.

Both policies share a common thread: they use administrative authority to restrict immigration without new legislation. That approach has defined this administration’s immigration strategy. It’s also why so much of that strategy ends up in court.