Highlights of the Proposed Rule
• The fee for H-1B Cap Registration would be raised from $10 to $215 per registration.
• Premium processing times would be lengthened from 15 calendar days to 15 business days. Weekends and holidays would no longer be included thereby increasing the time for the USCIS to respond.
• A new “Asylum Program Fee” of $600 would be added in addition to the newly increased Form I-129 and Form I-140 filing fees.
• The fee for an H-1B petition for a professional employee would be raised from $460 to $780 not including the additional $600 Asylum Program Fee.
• The fee for an L-1 petition for an intracompany transferee would be increased from $460 to $1,385 not including the additional $600 Asylum Program Fee.
• Applicants for Adjustment of Status would no longer be eligible for one bundled fee for forms I-485, I-765 (EAD) and I-131 (AP).
• In many cases, filing fees for online applications would be less than filing paper-based applications.
• For EB-5 investors, filing fees for form I-526 and I-526E would be raised from $3,675 to $11,160. The fee for Form I-829 to transition from a 2-year conditional to a permanent green card for an EB-5 investor would be increased from $3,835 to $9,525.