The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced a significant increase in the fees for its premium processing service, impacting a wide range of immigration benefits crucial for foreign workers and students, including the extensively used H-1B visa. The revised fee structure is set to be implemented starting March 1, 2025, and will apply to all requests postmarked on or after this date.
What is Changing in the Fee Structure?
According to the official press release, the fee hike is designed to account for inflation measured from June 2023 to June 2025. Premium processing is a service that allows applicants and their employers to pay an extra fee to receive a faster decision on specific immigration petitions, a critical tool for managing job changes, visa extensions, and travel plans.
The increases will affect several key application forms heavily relied upon by Indian nationals, who form a substantial portion of applicants for U.S. employment-based visas and are notably impacted by green card backlogs.
The new premium processing fees are as follows:
- For Form I-129 petitions for H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1, and TN visas, the fee will rise from $2,805 to $2,965.
- The same increase to $2,965 applies to Form I-140 petitions for employment-based green cards (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 categories), up from $2,805.
- For Form I-129 petitions seeking H-2B or R-1 non-immigrant status, the fee increases from $1,685 to $1,780.
- Students and exchange visitors will pay more for faster decisions on status changes. The fee for Form I-539 applications (for F-1, J-1, M-1 categories and their dependents) rises from $1,965 to $2,075.
- Those seeking quicker employment authorization will also see higher costs. The premium processing fee for Form I-765 applications, which includes Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM-OPT extensions, increases from $1,685 to $1,780.
Direct Impact on Indian Professionals and Students
This revision is expected to have immediate financial implications for a vast number of Indian professionals, students, and their U.S. employers. Indian nationals are the largest recipients of H-1B visas and constitute a major share of applicants for L-1 visas, employment-based green cards, and OPT work permits.
For thousands of Indian students graduating from American universities, the OPT and STEM-OPT programs are an essential pathway to gain practical experience and potentially transition to long-term work visas like the H-1B. The increased cost for premium processing these applications adds another layer of expense to their U.S. career journey.
The agency clarified that the additional revenue generated from this fee adjustment will be reinvested into its operations. USCIS stated the funds will be used to "provide premium processing services; make improvements to adjudication processes; respond to adjudication demands, including processing backlogs; and otherwise fund USCIS adjudication and naturalization services."
Looking Ahead: Planning for the Increased Costs
With the effective date of March 1, 2025, applicants and employers planning to file for these immigration benefits must factor in the revised costs for any requests submitted on or after that date. The premium processing service, while optional, is often deemed necessary for maintaining legal status during transitions, securing job offers, and planning international travel with certainty.
This move underscores the ongoing cost adjustments within the U.S. immigration system and highlights the importance of financial planning for individuals and companies relying on skilled foreign talent, particularly from countries like India which are deeply integrated into the U.S. tech and professional workforce.
