A new rule will require H-1B visa petitioners to pay an additional fee to file documents electronically with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
This fee is $10 per electronic registration.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained that the fee is necessary to recover costs associated with processing H-1B visa petitions, which allow professionals in certain specialty occupations to live and work temporarily in the United States.
The final rule has yet to be published in the Federal Register before the tariff becomes effective. Public comments will be accepted from September 4 (the date the proposed rule was published) through October 4.
The tariff arises as part of changes in how H-1B visa petitions are being processed.
DHS previously announced that beginning in 2020, H-1B visa petitioners will be required to register electronically with USCIS during a designated registration period. Only those petitioners whose registrations are selected will be eligible to file an H-1B visa petition subject to the statutory cap.
USCIS anticipates that the electronic filing requirement, once implemented, will reduce the overall cost to petitioners and create a more efficient and cost-effective H-1B process for USCIS and its petitioners.
You can read the proposed rule in its entirety in the Federal Register.