The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has proposed
significant changes to the fees for temporary and permanent work visas.
The registration fee for the H-1B visa lottery is expected to grow by 2150%, while the application fees for certain beneficiaries may increase by 70%. Fees associated with EB-5 investor visas and citizenship are also anticipated to increase. After receiving clearance from the White House review process, the proposed revision to the H-1B visa costs has advanced to the last step of review before going into effect. It is anticipated that this move may either expedite or discourage immigration applications.
The purpose of this change is to expedite the process and
deter pointless applications. Furthermore, it is anticipated that application
fees for specific recipients will increase by 70% to $780. It is unclear how
these fee adjustments will affect the March 2024 H-1B cap season for FY 2025.
Additionally, the US immigration office announced that premium processing fees
for H-1B applications will increase by 12% to $2,805. When preparing their
immigration plans, employers who sponsor H-1B applications need to account for
these increased expenses.
The National Policy Review (NPRM) has announced that the
first-time investor EB-5 Visa I-526 petition fees will increase by 204% to
$11,160, while the I-829 petition expenses for removing conditions on permanent
resident status will rise by 148% to $9,535. Citizenship (Naturalization) will
increase by 19%, from $640 to $760. These changes will impact applications for
citizenship, H-1B visas, premium processing, and EB-5 investment programs.
Although the final rule has not been formally published, these changes have
successfully passed a significant obstacle, marking a significant shift in the
immigration environment.
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