Starting February 1, people immigrating through a U.S. Consulate abroad will be required to pay a $165 fee to USCIS to recoup its processing costs for these applications. Immigration from outside the U.S. is managed by the U.S. Department of State and fees assessed in the process go to DOS. However, USCIS does some behind-the-scenes processing, which this fee is meant to compensate.
The fee will be paid on-line before the person immigrating enters the United States.
Remember Your H-1Bs!
H-1B applications subject to the "cap" must be filed by April 1, which is fast approaching. Please be sure to initiate processing in time as we expect demand for H-1Bs to be even higher than last year.
USCIS will accept all applications filed in the first five days of the filing period. If more applications are received than visas available, USCIS will conduct a lottery to choose those that will be processed and return the rest (including the filing fee).
Certain applications are exempt from this "cap" and can be filed at any time.
Let us know if you have questions about potential H-1B applications.
