The proposed rule significantly increases fees for employers who petition for and sponsor permanent residence.
On Jan. 4, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposed a rule to increase fees for employers petitioning and sponsoring workers’ permanent residences.
USCIS is also proposing a $600 new program fee for temporary and permanent visa categories to fund the U.S. asylum program.
Under the new proposed fee schedule:
H-1B Visas for skilled/specialty occupation workers would see fee increases of $920 -$1,135 per visa – an increase of 200-247 percent. This includes a $215 H-1B registration fee – a significant increase from the original $10 fee;
H-2A Visas for agricultural guest workers and H-2B Visas for non-agricultural guest workers would see fee increases of $670-$1230 per visa, representing an increase of 146-267 percent;
L-1 visas for temporary intracompany transferrers, would see a fee of $1,525 (332 percent); and
Fees for immigrant petitions would increase by 88 percent to $615.
Given the importance of immigration policy and how it affects small businesses’ abilities to plan and support opportunities for workers, particularly for how this rule will significantly amend immigration administration for employers, feedback from affected small businesses on USCIS’ proposal is critical.
If this proposal will affect how you run your small business, connect with NSBA, and read and submit comments on the proposed rule by March 6.