USCIS’s final rule increasing premium-processing fees took effect on March 1, 2026, but the impact is being felt in the first full business week of March as employers prepare H-1B cap petitions. The fee for most Form I-129 categories—including H-1B—jumped from US$2,805 to US$2,965, and the I-140 immigrant-petition premium fee rose proportionally. Premium service for F-1 OPT and STEM OPT I-765 filings climbed to US$1,780. The rule, published January 12, pegs future adjustments to inflation and codifies biennial reviews. USCIS says the extra revenue will fund backlog reduction and customer-service modernization, but immigration-budget managers see immediate cost increases of 5–10 percent per petition cycle. Because March 4 is the first day many employers are finalizing H-1B cap packages after learning of the wage-weighted lottery, the higher fees are now hitting corporate budgets. Employers that mailed checks using the old amount this week are seeing rejections and must resubmit or risk missing critical filing windows.
![USCIS premium-processing fees rise across the board, effective 1 March]()
For employers and HR teams looking to avoid costly resubmissions and stay on top of the new premium-processing landscape, VisaHQ offers an online platform that automates fee calculations, facilitates secure electronic payments, and provides real-time tracking of petition status—saving time and reducing errors. Explore how VisaHQ can support your U.S. immigration workflow at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Tips for mobility practitioners:
• Update cost projections for all fast-track filings in FY 2026.
• Switch to ACH or credit-card payments—USCIS no longer accepts paper checks for premium service.
• Consider regular processing for lower-priority extensions where 15-day adjudication is not mission-critical.
For employers and HR teams looking to avoid costly resubmissions and stay on top of the new premium-processing landscape, VisaHQ offers an online platform that automates fee calculations, facilitates secure electronic payments, and provides real-time tracking of petition status—saving time and reducing errors. Explore how VisaHQ can support your U.S. immigration workflow at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Tips for mobility practitioners:
• Update cost projections for all fast-track filings in FY 2026.
• Switch to ACH or credit-card payments—USCIS no longer accepts paper checks for premium service.
• Consider regular processing for lower-priority extensions where 15-day adjudication is not mission-critical.
