A pricey fee means organizations have had to rethink their budgets.
By Gillian Manning
Effective as of Sept. 21, 2025, new regulations mandated a $100,000 fee for all H-1B visa petitions. Alongside this cost increase, the government implemented stricter security screenings and shifted the selection process to favor applicants with higher salary levels and advanced skill sets.
Atlas Van Lines, a national moving company, released its 59th annual Corporate Relocation Survey, and of the 549 surveyed companies, 94% said the new fee impacted their relocation budgets to some degree. As a result, 82% adjusted their relocation policies in 2025 and expect those changes to carry into 2026.
The report says, “The most significant shift in external factors influencing relocation was a 9% increase in political and regulatory considerations (domestic or international). This came on the heels of major changes to the H-1B visa process in the U.S.”
Other key findings from the survey are:
- 55% of companies said the H-1B changes had a “major impact” or a “very significant impact” on their relocation policies;
- 23% point to political and regulatory environments (domestic or international) in general as having an impact on relocation policies; and
- while political and regulatory environments had the largest jump in influence as an external factor impacting relocation, the largest external factors were economic conditions (53%), a lack of qualified people locally and The Great Resignation (27%), and the real estate market/available housing (26%).
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