New Delhi: The US has announced a significant increase in fees for various types of non-immigrant visas, including H-1B, L-1, and EB-5, which are popular among Indians. This fee hike, the first since 2016, will be effective from April 1.
The H-1B visa is for foreign workers with specialized skills, commonly used by US technology companies to hire employees from countries like India and China.
The EB-5 program, initiated in 1990, allows wealthy foreign investors to obtain a US visa by investing at least USD 500,000 in a US business, creating jobs for American workers.
Starting April 1, the new fees for H-1B visa applications (form I-129) will increase from USD 460 to USD 780. The H-1B registration fee will rise from USD 10 to USD 215, but this change will apply from the next year.
The fee for L-1 visas has surged from USD 460 to USD 1,385, and for EB-5 visas, commonly known as investor visas, it has risen from USD 3,675 to USD 11,160, as per a federal notification issued on Wednesday.
The L-1 visa is for intracompany transferees, allowing multinational companies to temporarily transfer certain employees from their foreign offices to work in the US.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s federal notification, adjustments in fees, forms, and fee structures by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will have associated costs, benefits, and transfer payments.
For the 10-year analysis period (FY 2024 through FY 2033), DHS estimates the annualized net costs to the public will be USD 157,005,952, discounted at three and seven per cent. The total net costs over 10 years are estimated to be USD 1,339,292,617 at three per cent discount and USD 1,102,744,106 at seven per cent.
DHS argues that the changes in the final rule will also bring several benefits to both the department and applicants/petitioners seeking immigration benefits.
For the government, the main advantages include decreased administrative burdens and errors in fee processing, improved efficiency in the adjudicative process, and the ability to assess the cost of providing services more accurately, enabling better-aligned fees in future regulations.
Applicants/petitioners will benefit from reduced fee processing errors, increased efficiency in the adjudicative process, simplified fee payment processes for some forms, removal of the USD 30 returned check fee, and, for many applicants, limited fee increases and additional exemptions to reduce fee burdens.
The federal notification has introduced minor reductions in visa application fees in several categories.