The premium processing fee for an H-1B transfer petition is $2,965, effective March 1, 2026.1USCIS. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees You pay it by filing Form I-907 with (or after) the Form I-129 change-of-employer petition, and it obligates USCIS to take action on the case within 15 business days instead of the three to five months standard processing typically runs. It is optional. It does not improve your odds of approval; it only buys speed.
What the $2,965 Actually Buys
Within 15 business days of properly receiving your I-907 and fee, USCIS must do one of the following: approve the petition, deny it, issue a Request for Evidence, issue a Notice of Intent to Deny, or open a fraud investigation.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing Business days exclude weekends and federal holidays.
Any of those actions counts. That’s the part people miss. An RFE within 15 days satisfies the guarantee even though you don’t yet have a decision, and it also pauses the clock. When you respond, a fresh 15-day period begins from the date USCIS receives your response. So a case that draws an RFE can still take months in real time while remaining fully compliant with the premium processing rules.
If USCIS takes none of those actions inside the window, it refunds the $2,965. The refund is often automatic. If it doesn’t arrive, you can submit a written request to the office handling the case, referencing the filing date and receipt number. The refund does not apply when USCIS took a qualifying action, even if that action was only an RFE.
Who Is Supposed to Pay It
Because premium processing is an elective upgrade rather than a filing requirement, the payment rules differ from the other H-1B fees. When the employer wants the faster timeline for business reasons, such as an approaching project start date or a desire to confirm status before onboarding, the employer pays. Passing that $2,965 to the worker in that scenario can violate Department of Labor rules if the deduction drops the worker’s compensation below the required prevailing wage.3U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 62W: What is Portability and to Whom Does it Apply
The employee can pay when the request for speed is purely personal. Upcoming international travel or a personal deadline tied to your status are the usual examples. The test is who benefits from the speed. If the company does, the company pays.
This split applies only to the premium processing fee. The other government fees on an H-1B transfer petition (the base I-129 filing fee, the $500 Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee, the ACWIA training fee, and the Asylum Program Fee) are the employer’s responsibility in every case.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker For a large employer adding premium processing, the combined government fees can exceed $5,000 before attorney costs, so treat the $2,965 as one line on a longer invoice.
Do You Actually Need It?
Under the H-1B portability rule, you can begin working for the new employer as soon as USCIS receives the transfer petition, provided your current H-1B status has not expired, the new petition is valid, and you have not engaged in unauthorized employment.3U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 62W: What is Portability and to Whom Does it Apply You do not have to wait for the approval. Many employers only wait for the I-797C receipt notice confirming the filing was accepted, then let the worker start.
That changes the math on premium processing. If your only concern is starting the new job, portability may already cover you. Where the $2,965 still earns its keep is in shrinking the risk window. A denial while you are working under a pending petition can end your employment authorization abruptly. Getting a decision in 15 business days rather than several months limits how long you carry that exposure.
How to File Form I-907
Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, can be filed alongside the initial I-129 or later, after the I-129 is already pending.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service For a petition already on file, you’ll need the receipt number to link the request to the correct case. The form also asks for the employer’s name, the beneficiary’s name, the visa classification, and the service center handling the petition.
The signature has to be a handwritten one from the petitioner’s authorized representative or the attorney handling the case. USCIS returns any I-907 carrying a stamped or typewritten signature. A photocopy or scan of the ink-signed original is acceptable.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-907 Instructions Check that you’re using the current edition of the form; outdated versions get rejected.
The I-907 can be filed online if the underlying I-129 was submitted electronically and has a receipt number starting with IOE. Otherwise, file by mail.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
Paying the Fee
Any I-907 postmarked on or after March 1, 2026 must include the new $2,965 amount, or USCIS rejects it.1USCIS. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees The old $2,805 figure is no longer accepted.
For paper filings, USCIS no longer accepts checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks except under specific exemptions. Payment must be made by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or by direct bank transfer using Form G-1650.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions The card must be issued by a U.S. bank and have enough available balance to cover the full amount. A declined card means USCIS rejects the whole filing without a second attempt. The premium processing fee has to be a separate payment from the other filing fees.