United States of America
H-1B Specialty Occupation: total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for a standard initial H-1B petition: registration, Form I-129, asylum, ACWIA and fraud fees, DOL prevailing-wage salary evidence, optional premium processing, consular costs, large-employer surcharges and the conditional 2025 proclamation payment exposure.
What does the H-1B Specialty Occupation actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are US$3,595. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at US$62,000-US$150,000, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule on 1 July 2026.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for a standard initial H-1B petition: registration, Form I-129, asylum, ACWIA and fraud fees, DOL prevailing-wage salary evidence, optional premium processing, consular costs, large-employer surcharges and the conditional 2025 proclamation payment exposure.
Money you don't get back
US$3,595-US$3,595
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
US$62,000-US$150,000
Not a fee. The employer must attest on the LCA to paying at least the higher of the actual wage or the occupation/geography-specific prevailing wage; this range is the VisaAtlas planning proxy for common H-1B wage bands.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| USCIS H-1B registration | US$215 | Gov fee | Cap-subject employers pay this before the lottery/selection stage. Cap-exempt petitions do not use the annual registration process. USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule |
| Form I-129 H-1B filing fee | US$780 | Gov fee | Standard employer filing fee for Form I-129. Employers with 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees pay a lower small-employer fee. USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule |
| Asylum Program Fee | US$600 | Gov fee | Standard employer rate. Small employers pay a reduced amount and nonprofits generally pay USD 0 under the USCIS H/L fee guidance. USCIS - H and L filing fees for Form I-129 |
| ACWIA training fee | US$1,500 | Gov fee | Standard employer rate for an initial H-1B, change of employer, or first extension. Small employers pay USD 750 and some education/nonprofit research petitions are exempt. USCIS - H and L filing fees for Form I-129 |
| Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee | US$500 | Gov fee | Applies to initial H-1B petitions and changes of employer; generally not repeated for a same-employer extension. USCIS - H and L filing fees for Form I-129 |
| Prevailing-wage salary evidence (DOL LCA) | US$62,000-US$150,000annual salary | Proof of funds | Not a fee. The employer must attest on the LCA to paying at least the higher of the actual wage or the occupation/geography-specific prevailing wage; this range is the VisaAtlas planning proxy for common H-1B wage bands. U.S. Department of Labor - LCA program and prevailing wage |
| Foreign degree evaluation(optional)· indicative | US$0-US$250 | Service | Conditional: often needed when the specialty-occupation qualification relies on a non-U.S. degree; minimum is zero for U.S. degrees or already-accepted evidence. Credential-evaluation providers - verify employer and attorney requirements |
| Certified translations(optional)· indicative | US$0-US$200 | Service | Conditional: required only for documents not in English. Rates vary by country, language pair and document length. Country-specific certified translation provider - verify locally |
| Premium Processing (Form I-907)(optional) | US$2,965 | Gov fee | Optional faster USCIS adjudicative action for Form I-129 H-1B petitions; excluded from the baseline total. USCIS - Form I-907 premium processing |
| DS-160 / consular MRV visa fee(optional) | US$205 | Gov fee | Conditional: paid by beneficiaries who need an H-1B visa stamp abroad after petition approval. Verify the current fee and local payment rules on the appointment portal for the consular post. U.S. Department of State - Temporary Worker Visas |
| Public Law 114-113 fee (large H-1B-dependent employer)(optional) | US$4,000 | Gov fee | Conditional employer-side surcharge when the petitioner has 50 or more U.S. employees and more than 50% of its U.S. workforce is in H-1B or L-1 status. USCIS - H and L filing fees for Form I-129 |
| Presidential Proclamation H-1B payment exposure(optional) | US$100,000 | Gov fee | Conditional: USCIS states some petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on 21 September 2025 for beneficiaries outside the United States must include payment or exception evidence. Verify current implementation, litigation posture and exception eligibility immediately before filing. USCIS - H-1B Specialty Occupations |
| Attorney or petition-preparation fees(optional)· indicative | US$1,500-US$5,000 | Service | Common employer-side professional-service cost, but not a government fee and not legally required in every case. Complex RFEs, amendments or compliance files can cost more. Indicative immigration counsel range - verify engagement quote |
Baseline sunk cost is the standard-employer initial H-1B registration, Form I-129, Asylum Program, ACWIA and Fraud Prevention fees for a cap-subject petition: no premium processing, not H-1B-dependent, no consular MRV line, and not subject to the September 2025 proclamation payment. The DOL salary line is shown separately because it is wage evidence, not money paid away. Conditional service, consular, large-employer and proclamation lines are excluded unless they apply to the actual filing. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "H-1B Specialty Occupation cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/us-h-1b. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
FAQs
What does the H-1B Specialty Occupation actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are US$3,595 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are US$62,000-US$150,000. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.