The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a hike in the premium processing fee for H-1B visa applications. After an increase of 12%, the new fees will amount to $2805. This change will come into effect next year on February 26. As per the announcement on December 27, the premium processing fees have increased for the forms I-129, I-140, I-539, and I-765.
What are the new fees announced by USCIS?
In accordance with the USCIS Stabilization Act, the latest processing fee change includes the applications for H-1B visas. These applications fall under form I-129, a petition for a nonimmigrant worker. The current fee is $2,500. However, after a 12% hike, the new fees will amount to $2805, effective next year. Other classifications of form I-129 also include L1, which is filed for intercompany transfer visas.
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This increase reflects inflation from June 2021 to June 2023. It will be used to provide premium processing services, improve and respond to adjudication, and other USCIS services. Moreover, USCIS will continue to increase the premium processing fees biennially in the future. Below is the table of increased fees across different classifications:
| Form | Current Fee | New Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker | $1,500 (H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status) $2,500 (All other available Form I-129 classifications (E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, LZ, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1, TN-1, and TN-2)) | $1,685 (H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status) $2,805 (All other available Form I-129 classifications (E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, LZ, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1, TN-1, and TN-2)) |
| Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker | $2,500 (Employment-based (EB) classifications E11, E12, E21 (non-NIW), E31, E32, EW3, E13 and E21 (NIW)) | $2,805 (Employment-based (EB) classifications E11, E12, E21 (non-NIW), E31, E32, EW3, E13 and E21 (NIW)) |
| Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status | $1,750 (Form I-539 classifications F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, J-2, E-1, E-2, E-3, L-2, H-4, O-3, P-4, and R-2) | $1,965 (Form I-539 classifications F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, J-2, E-1, E-2, E-3, L-2, H-4, O-3, P-4, and R-2) |
| Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization | $1,500 (Certain F-1 students with categories C03A, C03B, C03C) | $1,685 (Certain F-1 students with categories C03A, C03B, C03C) |