H1-B visa: How much it will cost you to apply for US work permit in 2025?

As we enter 2025, many Indian have already started preparing H-1B visa applicantions. The H-1B is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa category that allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in “specialty occupations” that require at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent. Due to its high demand, there is ussually long waiting for this visa category. Hence, prospective H-1B visa applicants for 2025 should be well aware of all the details to avoid any lapses, including how much it will cost them to get new visas this year.

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H-1B Registration Fee: Applicants should register electronically with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to get themselves enrolled for H-1B lottery. The registration fee is $10.

How much you need: $10

USCIS Filing Fees: All H-1B petitions require a $460 base filing fee. Apart from that, an additional $500 anti-fraud fee applies to initial and change of employer petitions so that there is programme is not misused.

How much you as Base Filing fee: $460

How much you as Anti-Fraud fee: $500

Additional Fees for Certain Employers: Employers with over 50 employees, where more than 50% hold H-1B or L-1 visas, must pay an additional $4,000 fee under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, effective until September 30, 2025.

How much you need: $4,000

Premium Processing Fee (Optional):This is an optional service. It enables employers to fast-track H-1B petition approvals within 15 calendar days and they often use it for urgent hiring needs in key positions. In 2024, the fee for this service increased to $2,805.

How much you need: $2,805

Total Estimated Costs

For employers with additional fee: $10 (Registration Fee) + $460 (Base Filing Fee) + $500 (Anti-Fraud Fee) = $970

For employers with additional fee: $10 (Registration Fee) + $460 (Base Filing Fee) + $500 (Anti-Fraud Fee) + $4,000 (Additional Employer Fee) = $4,970

With premium processing: Add $2,805 for expedited processing, bringing the total for employers opting for premium processing to $3,775 or $7,775, depending on employer status.

For FY 2023, the Office of Homeland Security Statistics reports that 755,020 people were admitted to the United States in H-1B status. According to the data released by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Indian nationals received the highest number of H-1B visas or 72.3% of all the H-1B visas issued by the U.S. for the fiscal year 2023.