USCIS: Effective March 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that premium processing costs for a number of immigration benefits, including the H-1B visa, will rise.

According to USCIS, the premium processing cost has been raised to account for inflation between June 2023 and June 2025.

Important employment-based and non-immigrant files that are often utilized by foreign professionals—including Indian nationals who work or study in the United States—are impacted by the revisions.

The premium processing charge for Form I-129 applications for H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status will increase from $1,685 to $1,780 under the updated price schedule.

The cost of premium processing will rise from $2,805 to $2,965 for all other Form I-129 classes that are currently accessible, such as H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1, and TN visas.

Form I-140 immigration petitions for foreign workers in all employment-based categories will now be subject to the same $2,965 premium processing charge, up from the previous $2,805, according to USCIS.

Certain applications to prolong or modify nonimmigrant status will also incur higher premium processing costs. The charge will go up from $1,965 to $2,075 for Form I-539 applications that include F-1 and F-2 students, J-1 and J-2 exchange visits, and M-1 and M-2 vocational students.

The premium processing cost for Form I-765 applications, which include STEM-OPT and Optional Practical Training (OPT) categories, will rise from $1,685 to $1,780 for applicants seeking expedited employment authorization, according to USCIS.

USCIS stressed that agency operations will be supported by the additional money. The announcement said that the money raised by this fee increase will be used to pay for USCIS adjudication and naturalization services, react to adjudication demands, including backlogs in processing, enhance adjudication procedures, and provide premium processing services.

Indian professionals, students, and employers—who account for a significant portion of H-1B, L-1, employment-based green card, and OPT filings—are anticipated to be directly impacted by the cost adjustments.

Employers and candidates that want quicker adjudication deadlines for employment changes, extensions, trip preparation, and status certainty often choose premium processing.

Indian citizens make up a significant amount of the backlog of employment-based green cards and are the biggest recipients of US employment-based visas, especially the H-1B program.

Indian students who graduate from US colleges often employ STEM-OPT extensions and optional practical training as a springboard to longer-term H-1B work visas.