14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 5, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Teach Out White House visa fee hike could weaken California’s teacher pipeline, especially in rural districts. By Diana Lambert FORUM A White House decision to add $100,000 to the price of a work visa, allowing employers to hire from overseas for hard-to-fill positions, has California’s technology industry and other businesses reeling. But another group is also on edge: the state’s schools. California employs more teachers on H-1B visas than any state except Texas and North Carolina, according to a National Education Association analysis of federal data. Last fiscal year, 506 U.S. school districts employed 2,300 H-1B visa holders. With 10 H-1B visas in the 202425 school year, South Monterey County Joint Union High School District was the 10th-highest in California. The demand for the visas from California school districts has grown over the last seven years as the state’s schools, facing teacher shortages, have turned to overseas teachers to help fill openings. Last school year, 294 H-1B visas were granted to the state’s school districts, compared to 193 in 201819, according to the California Department of Education. The visas are typically good for three years with a possible three-year extension. But the new $100,000 charge for the H-1B visa is beyond what most districts can afford. “For these small, resource-limited districts, a $100,000 fee would be entirely cost-prohibitive and would effectively close off one of the few pipelines for qualified teachers,” says Yuri Calderon, executive director of the Small School Districts’ Association. Until Sept. 21, school districts and other employers paid application and processing fees of about $3,700 for the visa, depending on their size. That was before President Donald Trump issued a proclamation adding the $100,000 fee, effective two days later. The increase is meant to prevent the replacement of American workers with lower-paid workers from overseas, according to the proclamation. The $100,000 fee could be especially devastating to small school districts and rural districts already facing severe teacher shortages. The Trump administration has already made changes to the $100,000 fee requirement, updating the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website to clarify that the fee would not apply to people already in the U.S. under other visas who want to move to an H-1B visa. Education leaders are hopeful that the Trump administration will go a step further and exempt schools entirely from the fee. “Without such an exemption, this change could have a devastating impact on small school districts already facing severe teacher shortages,” Calderon says. Relief could also come from lawsuits challenging the fee filed in October, including one by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and another by a coalition of unions, employers and religious groups, but it is too soon to know how those cases will play out. Diana Lambert is based in Sacramento and writes about teachers and teaching in California. Daniel Willis contributed to this report, which was originally published by EdSource. OPINION “This change could have a devastating impact.” This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $57,688 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government. 2026 MEDICARE UPDATES Worried about next year’s premiums, deductibles, or out-of-pocket costs? Curious if more affordable Medicare coverage is available? Medicare costs—including Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Prescription Drug Plans (Part D)—change every year. Join one of our free seminars to explore your options and find out if it’s time to re-evaluate your coverage! Monterey: Scholze Park Center - Mon. 11/3 at 10:00am (English) Pacific Grove:Meals on Wheels of the Monterey PeninsulaTues. 11/4 at 12:45pm (English) Castroville: North County Recreation & Park District - Wed. 11/19 12:00pm (Spanish) Wed. 11/19 1:30pm (English) Seaside: Oldemeyer Center - Wed 11/19 1:30pm (English) Wed 11/19 3:00pm (Spanish) Call to learn more about our FREE service in your area! 800-434-0222 www.allianceonaging.org Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program - ‘HICAP’
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==