The fee for filing non-immigrant visa petitions (Form I-129) will be raised: for H-1B visas from $460 to $780, and for the O-1 visa from $460 to $1055. The fee for immigrant visa petitions (Form I-140) for EB-1 and EB-2 (NIW) will increase from $700 to $715.

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will impose an extra $600 fee on employers submitting Forms I-129 and I-140. Officials believe that by doing so, wealthier work visa applicants will have to absorb the cost of processing the applications of those applying for asylum. DHS recognizes the significant increase in costs to petitioners but considers this approach fair, as petitioners for work visas usually have more resources than refugees. As a result, the total fee for processing worker visa petitions will be as follows: H-1B — $1380, O1 — $1655, EB-1/2 — $1315.

The fee for electronic registration for the H-1B visa will increase by as much as 2050%: from $10 to $215.

If you change your immigration status — for example, if you are in the U.S. on an O1 non-immigrant visa and decide to switch to an EB-1 immigrant visa, which is quite common - you will have to fill out a change of status application (Form I-485). The application fee will go up from $1225 to $1440.

The fees for applying for citizenship (naturalization) will increase from $640 to $760. The most significant increase will affect investor immigration visas (EB-5): the fee for an I-526 petition will rise from $3675 to $11,160.

After public discussion, exceptions were made for those working in non-profit organizations or small businesses (25 employees or less). For them, the petition fee for an H-1B visa will remain the same at $460, while for an O1 visa, it will only increase by 15% to $530. The extra $600 fee for applicants from non-profit organizations will be waived, and for applicants from small businesses, it will be reduced to $300.

The new fee schedule is set to take effect on April 1, 2024. All changes are published in Table 1 of the document on the Federal Register website.

The fee increase is explained by the difficulties USCIS faces due to the influx of refugees and the consequences of the closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current fee schedule was adopted back in 2016, and the revenue from the fees, being the main source of agency funding, is insufficient to cover operational expenses. The fee increase is aimed at improving customer service and reducing case processing times.

Also, from February 26, 2024, the cost of premium processing for visa petitions will increase from $2500 to $2805.