US green card and visa processing fees increased

To keep pace with inflation and reduce long-standing backlogs, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased the fees for expedited issuance of H-1B visas and employment-based green cards

. Effective March 1, applications received with the increased fees will be subject to priority processing. Otherwise, these applications will be returned directly.

The US immigration authorities have stated in the notice regarding the increase in premium processing fees that the increased fee does not guarantee approval. The fee for H-1B visas and employment-based green cards, L-1 visas (I-140) has been increased from $2,805 to $2,965. 

The fee for applying for a green card under the family quota has not been increased. The fee for religious and seasonal (agricultural) workers in the H-2B and R-1 categories has been increased from $1,685 to $1,780. The fee for processing O-1, P, Q, E and TN (I-129) work visas has been increased from $2,805 to $2,965. The premium fee for approving student work permits, OPT and STEM OPT, is still $1,780. In addition, the fee for changing status for FJ and M category students has been increased to $2,075.

USCIS said in a warning on its website that if an application with a March 1 postal stamp is found to contain an incorrect fee (old fee) money order or certified check, it will be returned. This could waste valuable time for applicants and cause long waits for those seeking to start work quickly. 

Incidentally, as per the law, there is an obligation to review the premium processing fee every two years. Therefore, the possibility of a further increase in this fee in the future cannot be ruled out.

In the current inflationary market, this additional cost will be an additional burden on both employers and immigrant workers, according to experts. However, if the promise of reducing the backlog is fulfilled, it could bring benefits to applicants in the long run, says Ashok Karmakar, a renowned immigration attorney in the New York area.