In a final rule, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services raised fees for employer petitions and sponsorships for permanent residence, citing significant increases in agency costs since the last fee adjustment in December 2016. The new fees went into effect on April 1, 2024.
Employers witnessed substantial increases in fees for hiring high-skilled foreign nationals, with H-1B petitions rising by 70%, L-1 petitions by 201%, and O-1 petitions by 129%. Additionally, fees for various other petitions, such as the I-485 Application and H-2A/H-2B petitions, experienced significant hikes.
The final rule introduced controversial fees, including a $600 Asylum Program Fee, which employers must pay when filing certain petitions. However, nonprofits were exempted from this fee, and for small businesses with 25 or fewer employees, the fee was reduced to $300.
Despite concerns, USCIS retained the higher H-1B Electronic Registration Fee, which saw a dramatic increase from $10 to $215 per beneficiary. The agency justified this increase by citing the streamlined processing benefits of the electronic registration system.
Overall, the fee adjustments are expected to have significant financial implications for employers, potentially adding up to an extra $100 million annually, according to estimates. Despite questions regarding the necessity of some fee increases, USCIS emphasized the cost-saving benefits of the electronic registration system.