The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has unfolded plans to increase immigration fees by 2050 percent, thus affecting H-1B and green card applications, among others.
Soon after the announcement, the proposal was criticized by more than 600 individuals as well as organizations during the two-month comment period, VisaGuide.World reports.
The new rule is expected to be finalized in December or January next year, with an effective date of 60 to 90 days. The recent changes have been designed in order to fix the problem of not covering all the costs of agency operations, which has been an ongoing problem since 2016.
The proposal also means that the H-1B E-registration fee could surge by 2050 percent, from $10 to $215. In addition, the petition fee for an H-1B visa application is also set to increase by a total of 70 percent from $460 to a total of $780.
The increase has been justified by the agency by stressing the need to match the USCIS capacity with projected workloads and also prevent backlogs in the future.
In addition, the application fees for citizenship are also set to increase by a total of 19 percent, from $640 to $760.
The most notable increase is proposed for EB-5 investors participating in the investment-linked green card program.
The initial 526 petitions could experience a total of 204 percent surge, reaching $11,160, while the l-829 status may be subject to a total of 148 percent increase to $9,525.
Below, you can find the existing and proposed fees for essential immigration procedures:
H-1B E-registration Fee:
- Existing: $10
- Proposed Fee: $215 (2050 percent surge)
Petition (Application) for an H-1B Visa:
- Existing: $460
- Proposed Fee: $780 (70 percent surge)
Petition for an L Visa (Intra-Company Transfer):
- Existing: $460
- Proposed Fee: $1,385 (201 percent surge)
Petition by an EB-5 Investor (Investment-Linked Green Card):
- Existing: $3,675
- Proposed Fee: $11,160 (204 percent surge)
Petition by EB-5 Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status (with Biometric Services):
- Existing: $3,835
- Proposed Fee: $9,525 (148 percent surge)
Application for Employment Authorization (Online) – Online:
- Existing: $410
- Proposed Fee: $555 (35 percent surge)
Application for Employment Authorization (Paper Filing):
- Existing: $410
- Proposed Fee: $650 (59 percent surge
Application to Adjust to Green Card Status (with Biometric Services):
- Existing: $1,225
- Proposed Fee: $1,540 (26 percent surge)
Application for Citizenship (Online or Paper Filing):
- Existing: $640
- Proposed Fee: $760 (19 percent surge)
The new proposals have led several immigration attorneys to advise strategic investments in the EB5 program before the potential increases become effective. In addition, according to the Economic Times, those seeking United States citizenship or a green card are also urged to explore early filing options in order to minimize the impact of increased fees.
The United States H-1B visa, known as the Person in Specialty Occupation Visa, is a temporary work visa that permits US employers to bring qualified workers to the US in order to fill in the labor shortage gaps.
The US employer must have an open job position, ensuring that they cannot find an American employee who is qualified in specific fields (such as architecture or information technology, among others) to complete the work.
At the same time, the Green Card permits its holders to live and work in the United States permanently.