ADJUSTMENTS TO U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES FILING FEES
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will adjust certain visa and U.S. Permanent Residence/Green Card-related fees effective April 1, 2024.
The complete new fee schedule table is available here. Please note some significant increases:
Work Visas
- The regular processing fee for an H-1B visa application is increasing from $460.00 to $780.00 for employers with 26 or more full-time employees. With the inclusion of the required Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee of $500.00, the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA) Fee of $1,500.00, and the new Asylum Program Fee of $600.00, this means that the total USCIS filing fees for a new H-1B visa application, and a transfer of an H-1B visa, will be $3,380.00 if the petitioning employer has 26 or more full-time employees.
- The regular processing fee for an H-1B visa application is NOT increasing for "small" petitioning employers (employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees). The regular processing fee will remain $460.00 for these types of petitioning employers. With the inclusion of the required Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee of $500.00, the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA) Fee of $750.00 for "small" petitioning employers, and the new Asylum Program Fee of $300.00 for "small" petitioning employers, this means that the total USCIS filing fees for a new H-1B visa application, and a transfer of an H-1B visa, will be $2,010.00** if the petitioning employer has 25 or fewer full-time employees.
- The regular processing fee for an L-1 visa application is increasing from $460.00 to $1,385.00 for employers with 26 or more full-time employees. With the inclusion of the required Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee of $500.00 and the new Asylum Program Fee of $600.00, this means that the total USCIS filing fees for a new L-1 visa application will be $2,485.00 if the petitioning employer has 26 or more full-time employees.
- The regular processing fee for an L-1 visa application is increasing from $460.00 to $695.00 for "small" petitioning employers (employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees). With the inclusion of the required Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee of $500.00 and the new Asylum Program Fee of $300.00 for "small" petitioning employers, this means that the total USCIS filing fees for a new L-1 visa application will be $1,495.00** if the petitioning employer has 25 or fewer full-time employees.
- The regular processing fee for an O-1 visa application is increasing from $460.00 to $1,055.00 for employers with 26 or more full-time employees. With the inclusion of the new Asylum Program Fee of $600.00, this means the total USCIS filing fees for a new O-1 visa application will be $1,655.00 for employers with 26 or more full-time employees.
- The regular processing fee for an O-1 visa application is increasing from $460.00 to $530.00 for "small" petitioning employers (employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees). With the inclusion of the new Asylum Program Fee of $300.00 for "small" petitioning employers, this means the total USCIS filing fees for a new O-1 visa application will be $830.00** for "small" petitioning employers.
** Please note there are fee exceptions applicable to nonprofit petitioning employers as well.
U.S. Permanent Resident/Green Card:
- The regular processing fee for an I-140 application for U.S. Permanent Residence/Green Card classifications is increasing from $700.00 to $715.00. Petitioning employers submitting an I-140 application will also have to pay the new Asylum Program Fee of $600.00 if they employ 26 or more employees; or $300.00 if they employ 25 or fewer employees. Nonprofit petitioning employers will not be required to pay the new Asylum Program Fee.
- The regular processing fee for an I-485 application for U.S. Permanent Residence/Green Card issuance is increasing from $1,225.00 to $1,440.00.
2024 H-1B WORK VISA LOTTERY REGISTRATION UPDATE
USCIS has announced that the registration period for all new H-1B work visas will open on March 6, 2024 and run through March 22, 2024. Employers planning to apply for H-1B work visas on behalf of foreign-born employees must register the employee(s) with USCIS during this period for inclusion in the H-1B work visa CAP. The CAP is the annual quota on new H-1B work visas. The regular CAP is set at 65,000; with an additional 20,000 reserved for U.S. advanced degree holders (i.e. the "Master's CAP"). Because demand almost always exceeds the quota limitations, USCIS conducts a random-selection lottery to determine which employers can proceed in filing a full application with USCIS during the filing period of April 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024. The employee must be registered during March 6, 2024 – March 22, 2024 to be entered into the lottery.
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