US raises visa fees for non-immigrant categories such as H-1B and EB-5

The United States has announced a significant increase in the fees for various non-immigrant visas, such as H-1B, L-1 and EB-5, which are most popular among Indians. This fee increase is the first since 2016 and will take effect on April 1.

According to news agency reports, effective April 1, the new H-1B visa application fee (form I-129) will increase from US$460 to US$780. PTI. Starting next year, the H-1B registration fee will increase from $10 to $215. According to a federal notice released Wednesday, the fee for the L-1 visa has increased from $460 to $1,385, and the fee for the EB-5 visa, commonly known as the investor visa, has increased from $3,675 to $11,160.

The L-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa category in the United States designed for intra-company transferees. It allows multinational companies to temporarily transfer certain employees from their foreign offices to work in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security said in its federal notice that fee adjustments and changes to the forms and fee structures used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will result in net costs, benefits and transfer payments.

In a 10-year analysis of the rule (FY 2024 through FY 2033), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates the annualized net cost to the public will be $157,005,952, discounted at 3 percent and 7 percent. Total net costs are expected to be $1,339,292,617 (3% discount) and $1,102,744,106 (7% discount) over 10 years.

DHS believes the changes in the final rule will also provide multiple benefits to it and applicants/petitioners seeking immigration benefits. For governments, key benefits include reduced administrative burden and fee processing errors, increased efficiency in the adjudication process, and the ability to better assess the cost of providing services to better align fees in future regulations.

Key benefits to applicants/petitioners include reduction of fee processing errors, increased efficiency of the adjudication process, streamlined fee payment process for certain forms, elimination of the $30 returned check fee, and, for many applicants, limited fee increases and additional fee waivers to reduce cost burdens. The federal notification also slightly reduces visa application fees in many categories.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Tech companies rely on it to hire tens of thousands of workers every year from countries like India and China. Introduced by the U.S. government in 1990, the EB-5 program allows high-net-worth foreign investors to obtain U.S. visas for themselves and their families by investing at least $500,000 in a U.S. business that helps create 10 jobs. for American workers.

(Institutional investment)