In its Jan. 31 Final Rule, the USCIS has made several changes for the March 2024 lottery season, including new filing fees and an updated timetable for online registration.
Online Registration
The USCIS will open its online registration period from March 6 to March 22. The fee for registering online will remain US$10 for 2024, but next year will increase to US$215.
Fee Increases
Starting April 1, 2024, the USCIS requires H-1B petitions to pay increased fees. Because all lottery-based petitions must be filed on or after April 1, 2024, this fee increase will affect all I-129 petitions filed for the lottery.
Certain fees are reduced for “Small Employers”, defined as those with 25 or fewer full-time employees.
- The base fee for filing the Form I-129 is US$780
- Nonprofit and Small Employers: US$460
- A new Standard Asylum Fee applies, at a base of US$600
- Nonprofit and Small Employers: US$300
Existing Fees Unchanged
Previous fees associated with an H-1B petition remain unchanged, including:
- Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee: US$500
- ACWIA Fee: US$1,500
- Small Employers: US$750
- For employers with 50+ workers, and over 50% of those employees in certain foreign work visas: US$4,000
Whether you are a foreign worker seeking a specialty job position, or a U.S. employer seeking to navigate the H-1B regulations, make sure to review our firm’s summary of the H-1B petition process. File your H-1B with accuracy and precision, and meet the Cap Lottery deadline with confidence. Contact Us to set up a consultation.