Penn may be forced to pay millions of dollars to continue employing certain international workers after the federal government imposed fees on new H-1B visa petitions.
According to data from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and an analysis by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn ranked first among all Ivy League universities as an employer of H-1B visa beneficiaries. Under a proclamation made by 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump last week, each new H-1B petition will be subject to a $100,000 fee.
In 2025, the University secured 111 new approvals, which could cause Penn to face more than $11 million in fees each year if it maintains similar levels of sponsorship.
Penn sponsored an average of 269 H-1B visas annually — including both new applicants and renewals — between 2020 and 2025. The University had 227 approved H-1B employees in 2025.
A University spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
H-1B visas are for employees with “highly specialized” knowledge and education who are able to work temporarily in the United States. The visas last for three years but can be renewed for a period of up to six years.
In an interview with the DP, President’s Distinguished Professor of Political Science and immigration expert Michael Jones-Correa characterized the proclamation as “not very well thought out” and highlighted the “substantial cost” that will place a financial burden on employers that sponsor H-1B beneficiaries.
“For nonprofits, like universities, that’s going to be a really substantial cost, and will probably reduce the demand for the number of H-1B visas overall,” he said. “It might mean moving some people that they would normally hire and have employed in the U.S. … overseas.”
“It begins to add up pretty quickly,” Jones-Correa added. “I do expect that it would mean a reduction in the number of sponsorships by the university.”
However, Jones-Correa noted that relative to smaller institutions that are less capable of affording an additional six-figure annual sponsorship fee per worker, the fee “won’t impact Penn as much.”
Though Penn’s H-1B sponsorships have remained relatively stable over the past few years, Jones-Correa highlighted how the numbers might drop as the fees “make it harder for people to come.”
“Universities and companies are acting sort of as global actors — universities hire for talent across the world, not just the U.S.,” he added. “So reducing the numbers of people who can come to the U.S. is going to diminish what universities can do and also what for-profit companies can do.”
In 2025, Penn employed more H-1B beneficiaries than any other Ivy League university.
The data is calculated by employer — which, for Penn, includes all schools, administrative offices, and affiliated institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the Penn Museum. Other universities’ employment statistics do not always include affiliated systems and institutions.
“Any institution that has a large medical school, research in science in particular, and engineering — all of these will be impacted,” Jones-Correa said. “Universities are more vulnerable as nonprofits.”
Penn classifies its H-1B visa recipients as “specialized workers,” which includes a variety of faculty members and researchers.
“The whole purpose of a university is to bring people together at the university, so the kinds of businesses that can’t offshore are going to be particularly impacted by this new rule,” Jones-Correa explained.
“This administration is so changeable, it’s hard to know what the long-term implications will be, or whether this will remain enforced,” he added. “It will almost certainly be challenged in court.”
Earlier this week, Penn’s International Scholar and Student Services warned H-1B employees to remain in the country “until the situation stabilizes.”
Following a USCIS memorandum that clarified the proclamation, ISSS acknowledged the “unsettling” situation and noted that current employees can continue working and renew their visas without paying the new fee.
The new H-1B petition fee comes amid a federal crackdown on immigration, including thorough social media vetting for new international student visa applicants.
