Technology companies were blindsided by the hefty new visa fee. Photo: AP PHOTO

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.

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"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.

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