US hikes H-1B visa premium processing fees; how will Indians be impacted?

In a significant US immigration move, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a hike in premium processing fees for many immigration benefits, including the H-1B visa. The new rates will come into effect on March 1, 2026.

US visa's processing fee hike: What are the new rates?

The premium processing is an optional service offered by USCIS, allowing petitioners to receive faster adjudication of certain immigration petitions. With this additional fee, USCIS guarantees a decision within a specified time frame, usually 15 calendar days. Under the new fee schedule, USCIS has increased premium processing fees for several major visa and employment-based immigration categories, including Form I-129 – H-2B and R-1 categories, which apply to H-2B: Temporary non-agricultural workers, R-1: Religious workers. The old fee was $1,685, with the addition of a premium processing fee, the New fee is $1,780 with an increase of $95. 

For Form I-129 – Other Nonimmigrant Worker Categories that applies to H-1B (specialty occupations), L-1 (intra-company transferees), O-1 (individuals with extraordinary ability), P-1 (athletes and entertainers) and TN (NAFTA/USMCA professionals from Canada and Mexico), the Old fee: $2,805 changed to the new fee: $2,965 with an increase of $160. For all employment-based immigrant categories (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, etc.), the new premium processing fee is $2,965. 

US visa's processing fee hike: How will Indians be impacted?

Indians constitute one of the largest groups using H-1B visas, hence the increase in visa's premium processing cost, rising from $2,805  to $2,965 will hugely impact them. The Indian workers or their employers will have to pay $160 more for expedited decisions. Since many rely on expedited decisions,  raising the cost of faster USCIS decisions may prompt some employers to limit or delay the use of premium processing, potentially leading to longer wait times for job starts, visa extensions and I-140 approvals. Indians also form one of the largest groups of U.S. employment-based visa holders, especially in EB-2 and EB-3 categories. While the fee hike is relatively modest, it adds to the overall financial burden of U.S. immigration for Indian applicants and could make careful planning of timelines and costs even more important.