US Hikes H-1B, L-1 Visa Extension Fee - How Will It Impact Indian Professionals? Explained
The rule adds the fee to extension-of-stay petitions for covered employers, with charges of $4,000 for H-1B filings and $4,500 for L-1 filings.
- On Aug 10, the Department of Homeland Security announced an expansion of the Response and Biometric Entry-Exit fee to cover H-1B and L-1 visa extension petitions filed by employers with at least 50 employees and more than 50% of their workforce on these visas.
- Congress created the Response and Biometric Entry-Exit fee in 2015 to support national security programs; previously, the fee applied only to initial H-1B and L-1 petitions or change-of-employer requests, not to extensions for existing workers.
- Qualifying employers must pay $4,000 for H-1B and $4,500 for L-1 extensions; Immigration law firm Fragomen noted that amended petitions without extension requests remain exempt from this fee.
- Published in the Federal Register on Aug 10, the rule takes effect 30 days after publication; Chugh LLP confirmed the regulation expands fee applicability without increasing the existing fee amounts.
- This expansion follows a Court ruling blocking a separate $100,000 H-1B fee amid a 31% surge in tech hiring; separately, DHS has proposed a rule that could eliminate the 60-day grace period for H-1B workers.
12 Articles
12 Articles
H-1B Visa Renewals to Cost $4,000 More Under New DHS Rule: Who Will Pay the Increased Fee?
H-1B visa extensions could become $4,000 more expensive for certain US employers from 9 September 2026, after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalised a rule expanding an existing biometric fee. The charge will affect employers with at least 50 employees in the US where more than half of the workforce holds H-1B or L-1 status. The change is particularly significant because the fee can now apply to extension-of-status petitions, includ…
US to charge $4,000 H-1B, $4,500 L-1 fees for certain visa extensions
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit fee to cover H-1B and L-1 visa extension petitions filed by certain employers. Currently, the fee is charged only in specific initial and change-of-employer cases. This new rule is set to be published in the Federal Register on Aug. 10 and will take effect 30 days after publication. The additional fee is $4,000 for an H-1B petition and $4,500 f…
US visa rule change: Employers to bear ₹3.7 lakh H-1B, ₹4.2 lakh L-1 extension fees; What it means for Indians
The expanded fee applies to employers with 50 or more employees in the US, provided that more than 50% of their workforce is in H-1B or L-1 nonimmigrant status.
New US rule raises recurring H-1B costs for visa-dependent employers
The US Department of Homeland Security has expanded the USD 4,000 H-1B and USD 4,500 L-1 fees to cover visa extensions filed by covered employers. Effective 9 September, the rule applies to firms with over 50 staff if 50 per cent hold visas, raising recurring corporate immigration expenses.
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