US visa fee hike announced: How much more H-1B, OPT and Green Card applicants will pay

Foreign professionals and international students are among the biggest users of premium processing, particularly for H-1B, L-1 and employment-based green cards.

• USCIS to raise premium processing fees for visas, green cards from March 2026
• Fee hikes to affect H-1B, L-1, OPT, and green card applicants, mainly Indians.
• Fee hike revenue to enhance USCIS operations and expedite case processing.

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The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a hike in premium processing fees for several immigration benefits, including the H-1B visa, effective March 1, 2026. The increase will affect a wide range of employment-based and non-immigrant applications used by foreign professionals and students in the United States.

The agency said the revised fees reflect inflation between June 2023 and June 2025. Under the USCIS Stabilization Act, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is authorised to revise premium processing charges every two years to keep pace with rising costs.

“Fees will continue to be adjusted agencywide to account for inflation and protect the real dollar value of the premium processing service we provide,” the department said.

DHS added that the additional revenue raised through the hike will be used to strengthen USCIS operations. “The revenue generated by this fee increase 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,” it said.

From March 1, 2026, applicants filing premium processing requests postmarked on or after that date will need to pay the revised fee for the specific benefit sought. Requests must be submitted using Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, in line with the form’s instructions.

Under the new fee structure, premium processing for Form I-129 petitions for H-2B or R-1 visas will rise from $1,685 to $1,780. For H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN and other I-129 categories, the fee will increase from $2,805 to $2,965. Premium processing for Form I-140 employment-based green card petitions will also go up to $2,965 from $2,805.

Students and exchange visitors will also see higher costs. Premium processing for Form I-539 applications covering F-1, J-1 and M-1 extensions or status changes will rise from $1,965 to $2,075, while Form I-765 applications for OPT and STEM-OPT work permits will increase from $1,685 to $1,780.

Foreign professionals and international students are among the biggest users of premium processing, particularly for H-1B, L-1 and employment-based green cards. Many students depend on OPT and STEM-OPT extensions as a bridge to longer-term work visas.

The fee hike is expected to impact applicants seeking faster approvals for job changes, visa extensions, travel planning and certainty around start dates—especially Indian professionals and students, who form a significant share of these categories.

US fast-track Visa fee hike to hit Indian H-1B, OPT and Green Card applicants most

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the additional revenue from the premium processing fee hike will be channelled back into strengthening its operations and speeding up case handling.

The revised fees are expected to have a direct impact on Indian professionals, students and employers, who form a large share of applicants under the H-1B, L-1, employment-based green card and Optional Practical Training (OPT) categories.

Premium processing is widely used by employers and visa applicants who need faster decisions for job switches, visa extensions, travel plans and greater certainty around immigration status.

Indians remain the biggest beneficiaries of US employment-based visas, particularly under the H-1B programme, and also make up a substantial portion of the long-pending employment-based green card backlog.

OPT and STEM-OPT extensions are especially popular among Indian students graduating from US universities, serving as a critical bridge to longer-term work visas such as the H-1B.