USCIS Announces Fee Hike for Premium Processing: What It Means for Indian Professionals
Significant Fee Increases for Immigration Services
Washington: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revealed plans to raise fees for premium processing of various immigration benefits, including the H-1B visa, starting March 1.
According to USCIS, this fee adjustment is intended to account for inflation observed from June 2023 to June 2025.
These modifications will impact crucial employment-based and non-immigrant applications that are commonly utilized by foreign professionals, particularly Indian nationals engaged in work or studies in the US.
Under the new fee structure, the premium processing fee for Form I-129 petitions related to H-2B or R-1 non-immigrant status will increase from $1,685 to $1,780.
For all other Form I-129 classifications, including H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1, and TN visas, the fee will rise from $2,805 to $2,965.
The same fee of $2,965 will apply to Form I-140 immigrant petitions for alien workers across various employment-based categories, up from the previous amount of $2,805.
Additionally, premium processing fees will also see an increase for certain applications aimed at extending or changing non-immigrant status. For Form I-539 applications, which cover F-1 and F-2 students, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors, and M-1 and M-2 vocational students, the fee will go up from $1,965 to $2,075.
For those seeking expedited employment authorization, the premium processing fee for Form I-765 applications, including Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM-OPT classifications, will rise from $1,685 to $1,780.
USCIS has stated that the additional revenue generated from these fee increases will be allocated to enhance agency operations. The notice indicated, “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.”
These fee adjustments are anticipated to directly affect Indian professionals, students, and employers, who represent a significant portion of H-1B, L-1, employment-based green card, and OPT applications.
Premium processing is frequently utilized by employers and applicants who seek expedited adjudication timelines for job transitions, extensions, travel arrangements, and certainty regarding their status.
Indian nationals are the predominant recipients of US employment-based visas, especially the H-1B program, and they also constitute a considerable segment of the employment-based green card backlog.
Optional Practical Training and STEM-OPT extensions are extensively leveraged by Indian students graduating from US universities as a pathway to longer-term H-1B work visas.