how much h1b visa attorney

How much does it cost an employer to sponsor H1B?

Attorney Fee FY 23 H-1B Visa: H-1B Cap: H-1B Attorney’s fees 2,495 H-1B Visa Cap Exempt– H-1B Transfer, H-1B Amended, H-1B Concurrent: Attorney’s fees: $2,495 USCIS Fee: $460 to $2,460 Processing Time: 15 to 150 days. USCIS Fees: $460 for the USCIS I-129 Petition.

How much does it cost to file H1B?

 · The H-1B visa cost can range from $1,720 to $6,470 or more depending on attorney fees, optional fees, and employer criteria. However, only lottery-selected petitions will pay more than the $10 registration fee. With that said, it’s still necessary for all parties to be completely aware of the H-1B filing fees charged.

Do I need an immigration attorney for a H1B?

6 rows ·  · This may be set to change with a proposal by the US administration to hike these fees. H1B Visa. ...

What is H1B Premium Processing Fee?

The Shah Peerally Law firm offers not only experience but also commitment in processing your H1B Visa quickly and successfully too. Besides the communication they offer, their experienced attorneys will ably be able to guide you through the process. You can email them at [email protected] OR even call them up for advice at- (510) 742-5887 ...

How much does a US immigration lawyer cost?

An immigration lawyer charges between $150 and $300 per hour, with a typical 30-min consultation fee of $75 to $150. Legal assistance when filing basic immigration forms costs $250 to $800, while green card assistance runs from $800 to $5,000, plus the USCIS fees of $460 to $700.

Do I need an attorney for H1B visa?

Even the sponsor does not technically have to hire an attorney and may file the visa without one. However, due to the complexity of the process and administrative changes, as a sponsor, it is advisable to hire an attorney, especially for first-time sponsors unfamiliar with the process.

How much does it cost for employer to file H1B?

Basic filing Fee To file an H1B petition using the I-129 form, the cost to the employer is $460. It is the employer's responsibility to pay the filing fee.

Who has to pay the attorney fee for an H-1B application?

The Public Law fee only needs to be paid by employers with over 50 employees, and they must have more than 50% of their employees on the H-1B visa for the fee to be required.

Can I file H-1B myself?

You cannot apply for H1B Visa yourself as an individual. Only a company that has US operations and registered in the US can sponsor you an H1B visa.

How expensive is it to sponsor a visa?

How Much Does It Cost to Sponsor a Visa? In general, a visa sponsorship costs approximately $4000 but may cost $8-9,000 if a company has more than fifty employees and 50% of those employees are foreign nationals.

How much does a sponsorship cost?

While not many local organizations have starting sponsorships at this level, as an “average price,” we find that $750 per opportunity works pretty well. It allows businesses the flexibility to sponsor organizations at the $1000 level, as long as they're balanced out by some $500 sponsorships.

Can an employee pay for H-1B fees?

Filing Fees: According to the Immigration and Nationality Act and federal regulations, each of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) fees associated with an H-1B filing must be paid by the employer and cannot be borne by the H-1B employee.

How Much Does it Cost to Apply for H-1B Visa?

An H-1B visa application can cost from $1,720 to $6,470 or more depending on attorney fees, optional fees, and employer criteria. However, only lottery selected petitions will pay more than the $10 registration fee. With that said, it’s still necessary for all parties to be completely aware of the H-1B filing fees charged.

What About the LCA?

The Labor Condition Application (LCA), required for all H-1B visas, does not have a requisite fee attached to it, similar to the PERM Labor Certification. Your employer must simply make the four attestations required by the Department of Labor.

How To Get a USCIS Refund

Usually, the USCIS keeps the filing fees even if your petition is denied. However, there is an H-1B processing fee refund for all petitions not selected in the annual lottery. Other circumstances for a fee refund include:

Who Pays H-1B Fees?

Employers must pay for all H-1B fees. The only exceptions, where the beneficiary can pay for fees, are for premium processing fees and visa fees for those going through consular processing. Premium processing is an optional fee.

Does Premium Processing Help My Chances?

As previously stated, premium processing is a service provided by the USCIS that shortens the processing time for your I-129 petition to 15 calendar days for an H-1B fee of $2,500.

How To Pay H-1B Filing Fee

Your payment options for visa fees are relatively limited. According to the I-129 form, the applicable payments must be submitted with the petition in the form of money orders or checks. Each fee requires its own separate money order or check.

H1B Transfer Cost and H1B Extension Fees

The H-1B extension fees and H-1B transfer cost include the filing fee for another I-129 petition and the optional premium processing fee. The Public Law and Anti-Fraud fees are only applicable once per beneficiary per employer.

What Is H1B Visa?

While getting a job in the USA may be easy, getting the H1B visa that allows non-citizens to stay and work in the country is difficult for most people. The H1 visa may be the most popular visa for immigrants moving to the USA but it is also the hardest to get.

Why Is The Hike Being Proposed?

The hike in application fees is being proposed to increase the government’s funding to expand the apprentice program. This program trains American citizens to take on technology-related job profiles. This includes health care, advanced manufacturing, and information technology.

Changes made to the Visa application Fee in the Past

This is not the first time a proposal has been put forward to increase the H1B visa filing fees. In FY 2017, the H1B filing fee was increased by $4,000 in certain categories.

Current Cost of Filing a H1B Visa Petition

The fee applicable for filing an H1B visa petition depends on many factors such as the size of the company, etc. The fee can be broken down as:

Who Will Be Affected By the H1B Visa Fee Hike The Most?

The proposal was put forward at the annual budget of the Department of Labor. However, it did not mention the categories on which it would be enforced. Given the immigration trends of the USA, Indian IT companies are likely to be hit the hardest.

Current Scenario Of The H1B Visa Approvals

To get an H1B visa, an applicant’s name must be drawn out in a lottery. Recent changes made by the USCIS have given the immigration authorities greater leeway in denying applications. According to one report, one out of every four applications for new H1B visas was denied in the past year.

USCIS Proposes Visa Fee Hike

Apart from making the regulations stricter for the H1B visa, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has also put forward a final proposal on increasing the visa application fees.

What is an H1B visa?

H1B Visa is meant for such individuals who will be employed in a "Specialty Occupation" in the US. Most technological professionals use H1B Visa to live and work in the US. However, H1B Visa can also be used by various other professionals.

Is there an annual H1B cap?

There is an annual numerical limit of H1B approvals (called the "H1B Cap"). Therefore, it is essential that H1B Visa Petitions be filed timely (i.e. before the H1B cap is exhausted);

What is H1B Visa Filing Cost ? Application Fee ?

H1B Visa filing with USCIS involves a set of fees that every employer has to pay. Not all of the fee components apply to all employers, they vary by company size and the other factors as explained below.

Who pays for H1B Visa Fee ? Do you Pay or Employer ?

Many of you would wonder, who would pay for the H1B petition. For the most part, it is an employer’s ( H1B Sponsor) expense. You as an H1B employee or the beneficiary should NOT pay for it. Below are the details on who pays for what fee.

Latest News Updates on H1B Fee Changes

August 2021 : As of August 2021, there are no fee change since the last update of H1B premium processing fee from Oct 2020.

Under What Circumstances Might an Attorney Make a Difference?

Due to a few key administrative changes, there are a few types of H1B petitions that are not as straightforward as in the past. Here are a few examples:

What Does an Immigration Attorney Do in the H1B Visa Process?

An immigration attorney who is experienced with H1B visas can be helpful in several ways:

Is Hiring an Attorney Worth the Cost?

Many sponsors and foreign applicants choose to do the petition on their own rather than pay extra attorney’s fees, which can add to the visa cost. However, when you consider the monetary and business benefit to both the worker and sponsor, it may be a wise investment to hire an immigration attorney.

How much does a U visa cost for a dependent?

U-Visa Dependent — $275 for first dependent ($125 each additional dependent), $100 for EAD (if the candidate has work authorization already, then they may not want to apply for an EAD), $350 to add I-192

How much is the U visa for criminal victims?

U-Visa Criminal Victims — $3600 ($2400 if U-visa cert is already secured), an additional $350 due in cases where the beneficiary requires an I-192, $100 for EAD (if the candidate has work authorization already, then they may not want to apply for an EAD)

How much does a DOL labor certification audit cost?

DOL PERM Labor Certification Audits — $0 unless if it is a random audit, or $700 to $1150 if our firm did not start the casework initially.

How much does an attorney consultation cost?

Attorney Consultations – $200 for up to 1 hour, $150 for up to 30 minutes (reschedule requires prepayment), or $150 and $100 if prepaid, with $50 of the cost non-refundable. $200 after hours/Saturday,

How much does a family sponsorship cost?

Family (Spouse, Child, Parent or Sibling) Sponsorship I-130 Petition — $1600 spouse, $1250 all other ($900 for additional relatives from the same family)

How much does a B-2 visitor cost?

B-1/B-2 Visitors COS/EOS — $1000 or $600 if it is a bridge application, and $600 for 1st additional relative and $500 for all additional relatives (if multiple family members are applying concurrently).

How much is VAWA?

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) — $3500 ($800 for I-485, $50 EAD and $50 for AP) National Visa Center Processing — $1000 or $1200 w/I-864 (first two derivatives adds another $800/each, and $700/each thereafter) and if DS-5540 is not required, reduce the total fee by $250.