United States of America
O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement: government fee breakdown
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
Source auto-reconfirmed 23 July 2026 by the daily automated check (figures unchanged since last review).
An O-1 petition typically costs USD 1,655 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding optional premium processing, consular MRV fees, dependant filings and professional-service costs.
These are the fees paid to the United States of America government. For sponsored routes, the payer varies by country and component; use the item notes and primary source to confirm whether the sponsor, applicant, or both pay. Fees for dependants, priority services, or higher salary bands may change the total.
How much does the O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement cost in United States?
An O-1 petition typically costs USD 1,655 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding optional premium processing, consular MRV fees, dependant filings and professional-service costs.
Verified against USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule on 1 July 2026.
US petition cost controls
US H-1B, O-1 and TN petition cost, payer and stage evidence
The fee page lists government charges. This layer adds the stage and payer context needed before turning those charges into an all-in cost answer.
Employer-side versus applicant-side costs
USCIS petition filing, employer wage attestations and applicant consular fees do not have the same payer. Keep the payer visible before quoting any H-1B, O-1 or TN total.
Optional premium processing is not baseline
Premium processing can speed eligible I-129 adjudication, but it is optional and excluded from the baseline unless the filing strategy actually uses Form I-907.
Wage, evidence and intent gates are not fees
H-1B prevailing wage, O-1 evidence and petitioner requirements, and TN USMCA profession or temporary-intent gates are approval conditions, not money paid away to the government.
Stale USCIS fee trap
Re-check USCIS G-1055, H/L fee guidance, I-907 premium processing, State MRV, CBP and DOL sources before reuse. H-1B proclamation exposure and wage-weighted selection are conditional policy lines, not baseline fees.
| Route | Baseline and fee example | Payer and filing stage | Eligibility or evidence gate | Optional or conditional lines | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-1B - H-1B Specialty OccupationCost modelGovernment fee page | Cost model: US$3,595Fee worked example: US$3,595 (Initial H-1B, standard employer (>25 FTE, not H-1B-dependent), no premium). | Registration, DOL LCA, employer Form I-129 petition, then change of status or consular stamping.Core petition filing is employer-side in the model; the DS-160/MRV line is beneficiary-side only when a visa stamp is needed abroad. | Prevailing-wage salary evidence (DOL LCA): US$62,000-US$150,000 | Premium Processing (Form I-907): US$2,965Consular: DS-160 / consular MRV visa fee: US$205.Conditional: Foreign degree evaluation: US$0-US$250; Certified translations: US$0-US$200; Public Law 114-113 fee (large H-1B-dependent employer): US$4,000. | 1 July 2026USCIS — Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) |
| O-1 - O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or AchievementCost modelGovernment fee page | Cost model: US$1,655-US$2,155Fee worked example: US$1,655 (Single initial O-1, standard employer, no premium). | US employer or agent Form I-129 petition with evidence, consultation where required, then consular stamping if abroad.The USCIS petition is filed by the employer or agent; consular MRV and some evidence-service costs can sit with the beneficiary depending on the engagement. | O-1 evidence-threshold gate: US$0; US employer or agent petitioner gate: US$0; Peer-group or labor consultation/advisory opinion: US$0-US$500 | Premium Processing (Form I-907): US$2,965Consular: DS-160 / consular MRV visa fee: US$205; Visa appointment, courier, photos and local travel: US$0-US$300; O-3 dependant consular MRV visa fee: US$205.Conditional: Attorney or petition-preparation fees: US$2,500-US$8,000; Evidence package: letters, press, archive and translations: US$0-US$1,000; Credential evaluation where useful: US$0-US$250. | 1 July 2026USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule |
| TN - TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico)Cost modelGovernment fee page | Cost model: US$80Fee worked example: US$80 (Canadian citizen, port-of-entry filing). | Canadian CBP admission, Mexican consular visa, or employer Form I-129 change/extension path.Canadian border and Mexican consular paths are applicant-facing; employer I-129 filing is a separate optional path for changes, extensions or pre-approval. | USMCA profession eligibility gate: US$0; Prearranged U.S. employer support-letter gate: US$0; Temporary-entry / nonimmigrant-intent gate: US$0 | Premium Processing (Form I-907): US$2,965Consular: Temporary-entry / nonimmigrant-intent gate: US$0; Mexican TN/TD consular MRV visa fee: US$185; Consular appointment, courier, photos and local travel: US$0-US$300.Conditional: Foreign credential evaluation where required: US$0-US$250; Consular appointment, courier, photos and local travel: US$0-US$300; Form I-129 E/TN filing fee (paper, standard employer): US$1,015. | 1 July 2026USCIS / CBP / State Department TN fee sources |
Publisher-ready citation snippet
Visa Atlas separates US employment-petition cost answers by payer and stage: H-1B combines registration, LCA wage evidence and employer I-129 fees; O-1 combines petitioner, evidence and advisory-opinion gates; TN splits Canadian CBP, Mexican consular and employer I-129 alternatives.
- Tech worker route comparison
- H-1B visa guide
- H-1B cost-to-complete model
- H-1B government fee page
- O-1 visa guide
- O-1 cost-to-complete model
- TN visa guide
- TN cost-to-complete model
- TN government fee page
- Cost-to-complete JSON
- Fees JSON
- Visa JSON
- How our US petition cost figures compare
Latest source record in this cluster: 1 July 2026. This cluster supports retrieval and review, not ranking, traffic, AI-citation or market-share outcome claims.
Headline total
US$1,655
Single initial O-1, standard employer, no premium
No changes recorded for this figure since 1 July 2026.
Currency
USD (United States dollar)
Last checked
1 July 2026
Itemised fees
| Fee component | Amount | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|
Form I-129 O petition filing fee (standard employer)# USCIS G-1055 lists the O petition fee at this standard-employer rate. O-1 petitions are limited to 1 beneficiary; O-2 petitions can include up to 25 beneficiaries. | US$1,055 | Yes |
Asylum Program Fee (standard employer)# Standard employer rate for Form I-129. Small employers pay USD 300 and nonprofits pay USD 0. | US$600 | Yes |
Form I-129 O petition filing fee (small employer or nonprofit)# Conditional alternative to the standard I-129 O petition fee for eligible small employers or nonprofits. | US$530 | Optional |
Asylum Program Fee (small employer)# Conditional alternative Asylum Program Fee for eligible small employers. | US$300 | Optional |
Asylum Program Fee (nonprofit)# Conditional alternative Asylum Program Fee for eligible nonprofit petitioners. | US$0 | Optional |
Premium Processing (Form I-907)# Optional faster USCIS adjudicative action for O-1 Form I-129 petitions; USCIS lists O-1 under the 15-business-day premium-processing category. | US$2,965 | Optional |
DS-160 / consular MRV visa fee# Conditional: paid by beneficiaries who need an O visa stamp abroad after petition approval. Department of State lists O as a petition-based category. | US$205 | Optional |
Form I-539 O-3 dependant filing fee (paper)# Conditional per O-3 dependant filing inside the United States by paper Form I-539; online filing is lower where available. | US$470 | Optional |
Form I-539 O-3 dependant filing fee (online)# Conditional per O-3 dependant filing inside the United States online where USCIS permits online filing for the case. | US$420 | Optional |
Worked example
Single initial O-1, standard employer, no premium — US$1,655
- $1,055 I-129
- $600 Asylum Program Fee
How to read these fees
The US$1,655 headline covers single initial O-1, standard employer, no premium. Of the 9 components listed above, 2 are mandatory and 7 are optional add-ons (such as priority processing) you can choose to skip. The single biggest mandatory line is Form I-129 O petition filing fee (standard employer) at US$1,055.
Bringing family changes the total — see the dependant section below. Treat the figure as a planning estimate rather than a quote: confirm each line on the official source linked below on the day you pay, because these fees are revised regularly.
Dependant fees
O-3 dependants filing in the United States use Form I-539: USD 470 by paper or USD 420 online where available. Consular O-3 applicants pay the USD 205 petition-based MRV fee where required; check local reciprocity and issuance fees before booking.
Why fees change
USCIS G-1055 was last reviewed on 15 June 2026 during this update. O-1 is not subject to the H-1B registration lottery, and premium processing is available year-round, but USCIS and Department of State fee tables should be checked immediately before filing.
Primary source
USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule
https://www.uscis.gov/g-1055
Cite or reuse this dataset
This figure is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the Visa Atlas page for the compiled, dated dataset, and cite the official source for the underlying government rule.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement fee schedule", https://visaatlas.org/fees/us/o-1. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/fees
Frequently asked questions
How much does the O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement cost in government fees?
An O-1 petition typically costs USD 1,655 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding optional premium processing, consular MRV fees, dependant filings and professional-service costs. The worked example assumes single initial o-1, standard employer, no premium, totalling US$1,655. Fees for dependants, priority service, or higher-tier salary bands change the total — see the itemised table above.
Are these fees refundable if my application is refused?
Most application fees are non-refundable once the government begins processing. Some jurisdictions refund specific components (e.g. Canada's Right of Permanent Residence Fee refunds if refused; UK IHS refunds if the visa is refused). Check the linked primary source for the route you are applying to.
How often do these fees change?
USCIS G-1055 was last reviewed on 15 June 2026 during this update. O-1 is not subject to the H-1B registration lottery, and premium processing is available year-round, but USCIS and Department of State fee tables should be checked immediately before filing.
Do dependants pay the same fees as the primary applicant?
O-3 dependants filing in the United States use Form I-539: USD 470 by paper or USD 420 online where available. Consular O-3 applicants pay the USD 205 petition-based MRV fee where required; check local reciprocity and issuance fees before booking.
Next steps
Full visa guide
Eligibility, application steps, and FAQs for the O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement.
Processing time
How long the O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement takes from application to decision.
Compare: H-1B Specialty Occupation fees
Employer-sponsored non-immigrant visa for specialty occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Compare: EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Immigrant) fees
Employment-based first-preference green card for individuals with extraordinary ability — self-petitionable.
Compare: EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) fees
Second-preference green card with a waiver of the job offer and PERM labor certification, where the beneficiary’s work is in the US national interest.
Reviewed by Sam Parks, Editor and lead researcher.