US Hikes Premium Processing Fee Of H-1B, Other Visa Services Effective March 2026. Check Details
Immigrants filing for Form I-129 petition for H-1B status will be levied a premium processing fee of $2,965, as against the current levy of $2,805.
The United States has raised the fee for premium processing of various visa services, including H-1B, which is used by a vast section of Indian professionals working in American companies.
The fee is being raised to reflect the amount of inflation from June 2023 through June 2025, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a release.
"This rule is effective on March 1, 2026. If you submit a request for premium processing postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, you must include the new fee for the specific benefit you are requesting," it said.
As per the revision, immigrants filing for Form I-129 petition for H-1B status will be charged a premium processing fee of $2,965, as against the current levy of $2,805.
The same premium processing fee will be charged while filing Form I-129 petition for various other visa services, including L-1, O-1, P-1 and TN.
For H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status, the fee has been raised to $1,780 from $1,685 at present.
Meanwhile, the premium processing fee for filing "Form I-140 immigration petition for alien worker" has been raised to $2,965 from $2,805. This covers various visa services, including E11, E12, E13, E21 (NIW and non-NIW), E31, E32 and EW3.
The fee has also been hiked for filing Form I-539, which is used to apply for extending or changing nonimmigrant status. This includes services such as F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2, M-1 and M-2. The amount has been raised to $2,075 from $1,965.
Additionally, the fee for Form I-765, used in application for employment authorisation for certain eligible applications (OPT and STEM-OPT classifications), has been raised to $1,780 from $1,685, the USCIS said.
"The revenue generated by this fee increase will be used to provide premium processing services; make improvements to adjudication processes; respond to adjudication demands, including processing backlogs; and otherwise fund USCIS adjudication and naturalization services," it added.
