The House passed its reconciliation package, entitled H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes $150 billion in additional funding over five years to advance President Trump’s immigration and border agenda.
- The bill includes $46.5 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to construct physical barriers along the US border and $2.8 billion for border surveillance technologies.
- The bill also provides $4.1 billion to hire additional CBP personnel and $2.1 billion for hiring and retention bonuses.
- It also provides $45 billion for immigrant detention, $8 billion to hire Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, $14 billion to transport and deport immigrants, $1.25 billion to hire additional immigration judges and staff, and $3 billion to manage unaccompanied migrant children, among other funding provisions.
The bill contains several fee increases or new fees for immigration benefit applications and humanitarian protections.
- These include a $1,000 Asylum Application Fee, a $1,000 Parole Application Fee, and a $500 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Application Fee.
- There is also a $550 Work Permit Fee for asylum applicants, parolees, and TPS applicants, which must be paid and renewed every six months.
- The bill introduces a new Diversity Visa Registration Fee of $250 and raises the Diversity Visa Application Fee from $330 to $400.
- It also introduces a Nonimmigrant Visa “Integrity” Fee of $250, which will be paid when a noncitizen’s nonimmigrant visa is issued by the Department of State, including student visas, specialty occupation workers, and agricultural workers. There are also several immigration court fee increases that can be found here.
The bill also includes a 3.5% tax on remittance transfers sent by foreign nationals, including non-immigrants on H-1B, H-2A, and H-2B visas, as well as green card holders. The original proposal included a 5% tax. The bill also includes a measure to stop immigrants granted asylum or temporary protected status from accessing premium assistance for health coverage.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.