H-1B extension fees currently run from about $1,240 to over $5,000 in government charges, depending on the employer’s size, whether it is the first extension for that worker, and whether premium processing is added. The bill breaks into a base Form I-129 filing fee, several add-on fees tied to employer characteristics, and an optional expedited-processing charge. Many of these amounts changed in April 2024, and premium processing went up again in March 2026, so older figures online are wrong.
Base Filing Fee for Form I-129
Every H-1B extension starts with a Form I-129 petition. Large employers (26 or more full-time equivalent employees) pay $780 by paper or $730 online. Small employers (25 or fewer employees) and nonprofits pay $460 either way.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Fee Schedule (G-1055) These amounts took effect in April 2024 and are a substantial jump from the flat $460 fee that previously applied to all employers.
Mandatory Add-On Fees
On top of the base fee, USCIS stacks several charges. Some depend on employer size and nonprofit status. Some depend on whether this is the first extension the employer has filed for this particular worker.
ACWIA Training Fee
The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act fee funds domestic worker training. Large employers pay $1,500; small employers pay $750. Nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and government research organizations are fully exempt.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
Here is the piece that catches employers off guard. The ACWIA fee is required for the first extension an employer files for a particular worker, but not for a second or later extension by the same employer for the same worker.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker So if the initial H-1B and the first three-year extension were filed by the same employer, ACWIA applied both times. On the second extension (years four through six), it does not. Paying it when it is not required does not cause a rejection, just an overpayment.
Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee
This $500 fee applies to initial H-1B petitions and to petitions filed by a new employer in a change-of-employer situation. It generally does not apply when the same employer files an extension for the same worker. If your employee is changing jobs and you are the new sponsoring employer, expect to pay it even though the worker already has H-1B status.
Asylum Program Fee
Introduced in April 2024, this fee applies to every Form I-129 petition regardless of visa classification. Large employers pay $600, small employers pay $300, and nonprofits pay nothing.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker Unlike ACWIA and Fraud Prevention, the Asylum Program Fee has no exemption for repeat extensions. You pay it every time.
Sample Totals
A large employer filing a first extension on paper pays $780 base plus $1,500 ACWIA, $500 Fraud Prevention, and $600 Asylum Program, for $3,380 in mandatory fees. A second extension by the same large employer for the same worker drops to $780 plus $600, or $1,380, because ACWIA and Fraud Prevention no longer apply. A small employer filing a first extension pays $460 plus $750 plus $500 plus $300, or $2,010. These swings explain why online estimates vary so widely.
Premium Processing
Premium processing is optional. By filing Form I-907, the employer pays for USCIS to take action on the petition within 15 business days. As of March 1, 2026, the premium processing fee for H-1B petitions is $2,965, up from $2,805.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
“Taking action” is not the same as approving. Within the 15-day window, USCIS may issue an approval, a denial, a notice of intent to deny, or a request for evidence. Opening a fraud investigation also counts as an action. If USCIS fails to act in time, the fee is refunded and the case stays in expedited status.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing? A request for evidence effectively resets the clock, so the timeline from filing to final decision can stretch well past 15 days.
The $100,000 New-Petition Fee Does Not Apply to Extensions
Since September 2025, new H-1B petitions carry a one-time $100,000 payment. This fee has alarmed H-1B workers, but it does not apply to extensions. USCIS has confirmed it “does not change any payments or fees required to be submitted in connection with any H-1B renewals” and is limited to new petitions submitted after September 21, 2025.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B FAQ If your employer is extending your existing H-1B, this fee is not part of the bill.
H-4 Dependent Extensions
Spouses and children of H-1B workers hold H-4 status, and their extensions are filed separately on Form I-539. The base I-539 fee is listed on the USCIS fee schedule and is lower than the I-129 fee. H-4 extensions do not trigger the ACWIA, Fraud Prevention, or Asylum Program fees, since those apply only to employer-filed I-129 petitions.
USCIS previously charged an $85 biometrics fee for I-539 applicants, but that fee has been waived for all Form I-539 filings postmarked on or after October 1, 2023. Including it with a paper filing will cause a rejection, so do not send it.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Exempts Biometric Services Fee for All Form I-539 Applicants
Premium processing is not currently available for H-4 extensions. USCIS limits I-539 premium processing to applicants changing status to F, M, or J classifications.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service H-4 timelines depend entirely on USCIS workload and often run several months behind the H-1B worker’s own approval.
Who Legally Pays
Federal regulations draw a hard line. The employer must pay the ACWIA training fee, the Fraud Prevention fee, and the base I-129 filing fee. An H-1B worker can never be required to pay those costs, whether through payroll deductions or any other arrangement.8U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 62H: What Are the Rules Concerning Deductions From an H-1B Workers Pay? Even if a worker “volunteers” to pay, the employer cannot accept reimbursement if doing so would drop the worker’s pay below the required wage.9eCFR. 20 CFR 655.731 – What Is the First LCA Requirement, Regarding Wages?
Premium processing is treated differently. If the employer needs the faster timeline for business reasons, the employer pays. If the worker wants faster processing for personal reasons, such as upcoming international travel or a driver’s license renewal, the worker may pay it.8U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 62H: What Are the Rules Concerning Deductions From an H-1B Workers Pay? Most employers just cover it.
Attorney fees are another cost employers usually absorb. Immigration counsel for an H-1B extension generally runs $1,500 to $4,000 depending on complexity and firm. Like the government fees, attorney costs tied to the I-129 petition and the underlying Labor Condition Application cannot be passed to the worker if doing so would push pay below the required wage.
How to Pay USCIS
USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms unless the filer obtains a specific exemption.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees Employers relying on older filing guides get tripped up here. Mailing a check without an approved exemption gets the whole petition rejected.
Payment for paper filings now goes through Form G-1450 (credit, debit, or prepaid card) or Form G-1650 (ACH from a U.S. bank account).10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees Exemptions for paper-based payments are narrow (for example, no access to banking or electronic payment systems) and require Form G-1651.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1651, Exemption for Paper Fee Payment
USCIS recommends a separate payment authorization for each fee. If one fee in a combined payment is wrong, USCIS rejects the entire filing package and you lose your filing date.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Pay With a Credit Card by Mail Use separate G-1450 forms for the base fee, ACWIA, and Asylum Program Fee, and place the payment forms on top of the petition packet. Filing I-129 online, which processes payment electronically, avoids this risk entirely and carries the slightly lower $730 base fee for large employers.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Fee Schedule (G-1055)
Fees for Extensions Beyond Six Years
Federal law caps H-1B status at six years total.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1184 – Admission of Nonimmigrants Workers whose green card cases are stuck in long backlogs can extend past the cap under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21). Two paths exist:
- One-year extensions when a labor certification or I-140 immigrant petition was filed at least 365 days before the worker hits the six-year limit. These renew in one-year increments until the green card process concludes.
- Three-year extensions when the worker has an approved I-140 but cannot file for a green card because an immigrant visa number is not yet available due to per-country limits.
Each AC21 extension requires a fresh Form I-129, so the base filing fee and the Asylum Program Fee apply every time. The ACWIA and Fraud Prevention exemptions for repeat extensions by the same employer still hold. For workers from countries with long green card backlogs, such as India and China, these fees recur across a decade or more of extensions, and treating them as a predictable line item rather than a one-time expense is realistic budgeting.