Increase in premium processing fee of H-1B visa, impact on Indians (file photo)
IANS, Washington. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an increase in the premium processing fees for several immigration benefits, including the H-1B visa, which will be effective from March 1.
USCIS said the increase in premium processing fees for the period from June 2023 to June 2025 is "in response to inflation." These changes will impact employment-based and non-immigrant applications, which are widely used by foreign professionals. These also include Indian citizens working or studying in America.
Under the revised fee schedule, the premium processing fee for Form I-129 petitions for H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status will increase from $1,685 to $1,780.
The premium processing fee for all other available classifications of Form I-129 – including H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1 and TN visas – will increase from $2,805 to $2,965.
USCIS said a premium processing fee of $2,965 will apply to Form I-140 immigrant petitions for foreign workers in the employment-based categories, up from $2,805 previously.
Premium processing fees on certain applications to extend or change nonimmigrant status will also increase. Fees for Form I-539 applications covering F-1 and F-2 students, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors, and M-1 and M-2 business students will increase from $1,965 to $2,075.
USCIS said the premium processing fee for Form I-765 applications – which include Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM-OPT classifications – will increase from $1,685 to $1,780. USCIS emphasized that the increased income would be used to fund agency operations.
It said, “The revenue generated from this fee increase will be used to provide premium processing services; to improve adjudication processes; Responding to adjudication demands, including processing backlogs; "And to fund the adjudication and citizenship services of USCIS."
Direct impact of fee increase
The change in premium processing fees is expected to have a direct impact on Indian professionals, students and employers, who make up a significant portion of H-1B, L-1, employment-based green card and OPT applications.
Premium processing is often used by employers and applicants to achieve a quick decision process for job changes, extensions, travel plans, and position certainty.
Indian citizens are the biggest beneficiaries of US employment-based visas, particularly the H-1B program, and also account for a large share of pending green card applications.
Indian students graduating from US universities widely use Optional Practical Training and STEM-OPT extensions to obtain long-term work visas such as H-1B.