U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a final rule in the Federal Register adjusting premium-processing fees for the first time since 2022. Beginning 1 March 2026, the cost to expedite most Form I-129 and I-140 petitions will rise from US $2,805 to US $2,965, while the H-2B/R-1 category climbs from US $1,685 to US $1,780 and Form I-539 premium requests increase from US $1,965 to US $2,075. The agency cites statutory authority under the USCIS Stabilization Act, which allows biennial inflation-based adjustments pegged to the Consumer Price Index.
For employers, the timing matters: any premium-processing request post-marked 1 March or later must carry the higher cheque or money-order. Filings sent with the old amount will be rejected, resetting receipt dates and potentially jeopardising start dates for time-sensitive transfers or STEM-OPT extensions. Companies with large H-1B or L-1 portfolios are therefore front-loading February filings and warning managers to budget for the roughly 5.7 % hike going forward.
![USCIS Final Rule Raises Premium-Processing Fees Starting 1 March 2026]()
Amid these shifting requirements, organisations can lean on VisaHQ for streamlined support. The firm’s U.S. visa specialists provide up-to-date fee calculators, document reviews and courier coordination to ensure petitions reach USCIS before any new surcharge kicks in—details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/.
USCIS projects the fee bump will generate an extra US $305 million annually, revenue the agency says will fund backlog-reduction initiatives and customer-service upgrades, including planned expansion of online MyUSCIS account functionality. Critics argue, however, that premium processing has become a de-facto revenue stream rather than a true “premium” option, given that many business petitions effectively require the service to meet onboarding deadlines.
Practical steps: review any H-1B amendment, L-1 “blanket” or green-card downgrade you plan to file in Q1 2026; if premium service is critical, aim to ship by 28 February. Finance teams should update internal recharge tables and vendor PO amounts to reflect the new fees.
For employers, the timing matters: any premium-processing request post-marked 1 March or later must carry the higher cheque or money-order. Filings sent with the old amount will be rejected, resetting receipt dates and potentially jeopardising start dates for time-sensitive transfers or STEM-OPT extensions. Companies with large H-1B or L-1 portfolios are therefore front-loading February filings and warning managers to budget for the roughly 5.7 % hike going forward.
Amid these shifting requirements, organisations can lean on VisaHQ for streamlined support. The firm’s U.S. visa specialists provide up-to-date fee calculators, document reviews and courier coordination to ensure petitions reach USCIS before any new surcharge kicks in—details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/.
USCIS projects the fee bump will generate an extra US $305 million annually, revenue the agency says will fund backlog-reduction initiatives and customer-service upgrades, including planned expansion of online MyUSCIS account functionality. Critics argue, however, that premium processing has become a de-facto revenue stream rather than a true “premium” option, given that many business petitions effectively require the service to meet onboarding deadlines.
Practical steps: review any H-1B amendment, L-1 “blanket” or green-card downgrade you plan to file in Q1 2026; if premium service is critical, aim to ship by 28 February. Finance teams should update internal recharge tables and vendor PO amounts to reflect the new fees.
