Application Fees

H-1B filing fees are mentioned below.  Separate checks for each fee are required; made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”  The H-1B filing fee costs must be paid by the H-1B employer and cannot be paid by the H-1B employee.  These costs cannot be passed on in any indirect way to the employee (i.e. they cannot be deducted from the salary or start-up funds of an H-1B employee).

• $460, Standard Application Fee for Form I-129
• $500, Anti-Fraud Fee (Required for initial and portability petitions, this fee is not required for extension cases)
• $1225, Optional premium processing service fee (expedited service)*

*Premium Processing is an expedited service that is available from USCIS for H-1B petitions.  USCIS charges a $1,225 fee in exchange for 15-calendar day processing period. USCIS guarantees that within 15 days the Service Center will issue either a Notice of Approval or request for evidence.  If USCIS fails to process the petition within 15 days, USCIS will refund the $1,225.  Premium processing service may be requested at the time H-1B petition is submitted or at a later date, if necessary.  The premium processing fee is considered an employer's responsibility (like all H-1B related fees) unless there is a documented reason that the premium processing request would only benefit the employee.  In that circumstance IP can evaluate a request from the employee to pay the cost of the premium processing (all other H-1B fees must always be paid by the employer).