A new $US100,000 fee for H-1B visas in the United States will be levied per petition and won't be applied to existing visa holders re-entering the country.

"This is NOT an annual fee. It's a one-time fee that applies only to the petition," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X on Saturday.

A petition is a request by a company to bring a skilled worker from another country into the United States, with H-1B visas meant for high-skilled workers that tech companies find hard to fill..

Leavitt said that current H-1B visa holders who are currently outside of the country won't be charged $US100,000 ($A151,630) to re-enter the United States.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday said the fee, which comes into effect on Sunday, would be paid annually but added that

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