Kathmandu. The application fee for the US A-1B visa, which is the most sought-after visa for foreigners, is going to be more expensive.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an increase in application fees for many immigration services, including H-1B visas. This increase will be effective from March 1 this year.
The application fee increase will affect a wide range of employment-based and non-immigrant applications for foreign immigrants. That includes a large number of foreign nationals working or studying in the United States.
According to the Department of Immigration, the processing fee has been adjusted keeping in mind the inflation from June 2023 to June 2025.
According to the new fee schedule released by USCIS, the premium processing fee for Form I-129 applications for H-1B or R-1 nonimmigrant status will increase from $1,685 to $1,780. For H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1 and T-1 visas, the premium processing fee will go up from $2,805 to $2,965. The I-140 application fee has been increased from $2,805 to $2,965.
USCIS said the increased revenue will be used to support the agency’s operations. These include providing premium processing services, clearing processing backlogs, and funding USCIS’s judicial and naturalization services.
Foreign nationals are the largest beneficiaries of the H-1B programme in the United States. They are responsible for a significant portion of the employment-based green card backlog. As a result, the fee hike is likely to affect many foreign professionals, students, and employers. However, the premium processing fee is entirely voluntary and is primarily used by applicants seeking quick decisions on matters such as job changes, visa extensions and travel plans.
