This week, the U.S. Senate approved a new increase to the cost to apply for an H-1B visa. This increase will help the federal government recover funds it lost due to a $600 million emergency package used to improve security along the U.S.-Mexican border.

This fee increase will help pay for 1,000 new border patrol agents and unmanned aircrafts along the border, and will assist in funding a range of agencies and prisons. The new measure would increase the cost to apply for an H-1B visa by $2,000 per applications for companies with 50% or more of their employees under this visa category. The fee increase will also affect certain L-1 visas.