H-1B sponsor cost
H-1B sponsor cost is a stack of government filing components, not one universal number. Registration, Form I-129, asylum, ACWIA, fraud, premium processing, employer type, and the 2025 proclamation screen can all change the total.
Cap registration
$215
Regular I-129
$780
Verified
2026-06-22
As of , a common regular, nonexempt initial cap case is about $3,595 in government filing components before attorney fees or premium processing. Some cases are lower, and certain post-2025 proclamation cases require a separate $100,000 screen.
Page updated: . Last verified: . Date retrieved: . VisaSignal is a public filing research tool, not legal advice or a case-specific fee calculator.
Fee components
Use the components below as a checklist. Whether a fee applies depends on the petition type, employer category, requested processing, and current government guidance.
Applies to each cap registration submitted for the H-1B cap or advanced-degree selection process. It is not part of every non-cap petition.
The base H-1B/H-1B1 petition fee in the USCIS fee schedule. A $50 online-filing discount can apply to regular online filings unless the fee rule says otherwise.
Regular petitioners pay $600; small employers pay $300; nonprofits pay no Asylum Program Fee. The online discount does not apply to this fee.
Certain H-1B petitions owe the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act fee. The amount depends on employer size and exemptions.
Certain initial H-1B petitions and change-of-employer petitions owe this statutory fee. H-1B1 Chile/Singapore petitions are treated separately.
Optional Form I-907 premium processing is paid in addition to other filing fees when a petitioner requests premium processing for an eligible H-1B petition.
A separate statutory fee can apply to certain large employers with 50 or more US employees when more than half are in H-1B or L-1 status.
DOL notes a September 2025 proclamation requiring certain post-effective-date H-1B petitions to be accompanied or supplemented by a $100,000 payment. Treat this as a separate case-specific screen.
Fast estimates
These examples are not quotes. They show why sponsor-cost searches need employer type, cap posture, exemptions, and premium-processing choice before a total is useful.
$215 cap registration + $780 Form I-129 + $600 Asylum Program Fee + $500 fraud fee + $1,500 ACWIA. Excludes attorney fees, premium processing, and any proclamation payment.
$215 cap registration + $460 Form I-129 + $300 Asylum Program Fee + $500 fraud fee + $750 ACWIA. Exemptions and case posture can change the total.
Premium processing is an optional request. It speeds eligible petition adjudication but does not replace the filing, asylum, ACWIA, fraud, or other required fees.
Worker-charge guardrails
DOL separates sponsor filing costs from wages. The important research question is not only the amount, but who is allowed to bear it.
DOL says an H-1B worker cannot be required to pay the DHS petition filing fee, statutory training and processing fee, or $500 fraud fee.
DOL also bars deductions for employer business expenses, including LCA and I-129 filing costs, when they reduce the worker below the required wage.
Cap registration, initial approval, change of employer, nonprofit status, small-employer status, premium processing, and the 2025 proclamation screen can all change the final cost.
Official-source trail
Fee amounts change. The safest workflow is to check the live fee schedule and DOL worker-charge guidance before relying on any sponsor-cost estimate.
Continue researching
Sponsor cost only tells you the fee burden. These pages show whether an employer has official LCA, PERM, wage, and source-history signals.
LCA and PERM rows are filing signals, not USCIS approvals, green-card approvals, legal advice, or outcome predictions.
FAQ
A common regular, nonexempt initial cap case is about $3,595 in government filing components before attorney fees or premium processing: $215 cap registration, $780 Form I-129, $600 Asylum Program Fee, $500 fraud fee, and $1,500 ACWIA. Some cases cost less or much more because exemptions, small-employer status, premium processing, the 50/50 fee, or the 2025 proclamation payment can apply.
DOL guidance says an H-1B worker cannot be required to pay the DHS petition filing fee, statutory training and processing fee, or $500 fraud fee. Deductions for employer business expenses, including LCA and I-129 filing costs, also cannot reduce the worker below the required wage.
No. Premium processing is optional and is paid in addition to the ordinary fee stack. The current premium-processing amount for an H-1B classification request is $2,965 in the USCIS fee schedule.
No. DOL describes the September 2025 $100,000 proclamation payment as tied to certain H-1B petitions filed after the proclamation effective date. Because applicability depends on petition posture and government guidance, treat it as a separate case-specific screen rather than part of the ordinary filing-fee estimate.
No. A DOL-certified LCA is not the same as USCIS H-1B petition approval. It is an official labor-condition filing signal that should be interpreted with that limit.
No. PERM certification is one step in an employment-based green card process. It does not mean a green card, I-140 petition, or adjustment of status was approved.
No. Official filing history can show recent activity, roles, worksites, and wage signals, but it does not guarantee future sponsorship or predict legal outcomes.