Murkowski introduces bill to exempt Alaska schools from $100K H-1B visa fee

By THE ALASKA STORY

March 12, 2026 – Lisa Murkowski introduced legislation aimed at exempting public schools from a steep new federal visa fee that education leaders say could worsen Alaska’s long-standing teacher shortage, particularly in rural communities.

The bill would exempt K–12 public schools from a $100,000 fee imposed on each applicant for an H-1B visa under a proclamation issued last year by Donald Trump. Alaska school districts have increasingly relied on the program to recruit international teachers as domestic applicants have remained scarce for many positions across the state.

“As soon as this proclamation was released last year, I have been sounding the alarm with the administration about the importance of the H-1B visa program to Alaska’s school districts,” Murkowski said. “Our public school classrooms have been facing a staffing crisis for years, but teachers in Alaska on H-1B visas have been instrumental in bridging that shortage and serving our students with talent and care.”

The fee requirement stems from a Sept. 19, 2025 proclamation requiring H-1B visa applicants to accompany their petitions with a $100,000 payment in addition to existing fees and costs associated with the program. Murkowski warned soon after the policy was announced that the new cost could have severe consequences for Alaska’s schools.

On Oct. 8, 2025, she wrote to Kristi Noem, then Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, urging the department to use its discretionary authority to exempt teachers from the increased fee. In the letter, Murkowski noted that many of Alaska’s rural school districts operate with small budgets and already face high costs due to the state’s geography and remote communities.

“A requirement to pay $100,000 per H-1B teacher would be impossible to meet—both for the districts and the individual teachers,” she wrote at the time.

Education leaders across Alaska say the issue is significant because many districts depend on international teachers to keep classrooms staffed.

According to the Alaska Council of School Administrators, 573 educators in Alaska, about 8.5% of the state’s teaching workforce, have work visas. More than half of Alaska’s school districts rely on international teachers, with some rural districts depending on them for 50% to nearly 80% of their teaching staff.

“International teachers are essential to keeping classrooms open across Alaska,” said Lisa Parady, executive director of the administrators’ association. School districts already spend between $6,000 and $12,000 per teacher to recruit and sponsor international educators through the visa process, she said.

“Adding a $100,000 federal visa fee has made it financially impossible for many districts to continue hiring the teachers their students depend on,” Parady said.

Superintendents from several districts said the fee could force schools to leave teaching positions unfilled.

Dr. Cyndy Mika, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said nearly 20% of the district’s teachers are on visas, while roughly 75% of teachers in Kodiak’s village schools are international hires.

“These educators are not replacing American teachers—we simply do not have applicants for these positions,” Mika said. “Without access to international educators, districts like Kodiak will struggle to fill classrooms and provide consistent learning environments for students.”

In the Bering Strait School District, Superintendent Tammy Dodd said the district employs 86 international teachers, representing about 40% of its certified staff.

“As many districts across the state of Alaska have experienced budget deficits, having to pay a $100,000 H-1B visa fee for each incoming international teacher is unrealistic,” Dodd said. She noted that restrictions on the J-1 visa program limit the ability of some rural districts to use that alternative pathway.

Madeline Aguillard, superintendent of the Kuspuk School District, said international educators are essential to keeping schools open in remote communities.

“In the Kuspuk School District, international teachers are not a supplement to our workforce. They are essential to keeping schools open,” Aguillard said.

Andrew Anderson, superintendent of the Lower Kuskokwim School District, said the visa fee adds another major barrier for districts already struggling to recruit teachers.

“The $100,000 H-1B visa fee is an additional and insurmountable barrier to Alaska’s critical need for qualified teachers who are essential to students’ healthy growth and learning,” Anderson said.

Murkowski said her legislation would provide a practical solution by allowing public schools to continue using the visa program to recruit teachers while protecting students from the effects of growing staffing shortages.

“This legislation offers a commonsense exemption that will ensure Alaska’s schoolchildren have access to more high-quality educators while keeping class sizes reasonable,” she said.