See the complete USCIS cost breakdown for sponsoring an H-1B worker, by company size and petition type.
Company Size (full-time employees)
H-Dependent Employer?
50%+ workforce on H-1B, or 15+ H-1Bs filed in prior year. Asylum fee is waived.
Include Premium Processing?
+$2,805, Optional. 15 business-day adjudication. Can be paid by employee.
Total USCIS Fees
$3,330
All fees included
Employer Must Pay
$3,330
Non-transferable fees
I-129 Base Filing Fee
Required for all H-1B petitions. Employer cannot pass this to employee.
ACWIA Training Fee
Standard rate for employers with 26+ employees. Cannot be charged to employee.
Fraud Prevention & Detection Fee
Required for initial petitions and transfers. Not required for extensions.
Asylum Program Fee
Standard rate for employers with 26+ employees.
Legal Requirement
Employers cannot pass the ACWIA training fee or I-129 filing fee to the employee. Doing so is a violation of H-1B regulations and can result in debarment, civil penalties, and back wage liability. The premium processing fee is the only fee that may be paid by either party.
All USCIS fees are non-refundable
USCIS does not refund filing fees if a petition is denied, withdrawn, or rejected for procedural issues. The only exception is if USCIS rejects (not denies) the petition before it is reviewed. Plan for this in your sponsorship budget.
Attorney fees not included
This calculator covers USCIS government fees only. Immigration attorney fees are separate and typically range from $3,000–$8,000 depending on employer size and complexity. Use the H1B Cost Calculator for a full estimate including attorney fees and risk-adjusted costs.
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Sumit Patel
SMIEEE · FBCS · FIETE | 16+ years data engineering | 30+ peer-reviewed papers
Sumit built H1BVisaJobs.com on 10 GB+ of DOL LCA disclosure data (FY2022–FY2025). All immigration data and analysis on this site comes from primary government sources.