·United States of America·Significant change·In force
US: premium processing rises to $2,965 and H-1B moves to wage-weighted selection
By Sam Parks · Last reviewed:
Two USCIS changes land for the FY2027 H-1B season: the Form I-907 premium-processing fee rises with inflation, and cap-subject H-1B selection switches from a random lottery to a wage-weighted process.
Effective from .
What changed
- Premium processing (Form I-907) rose from USD 2,805 to USD 2,965 on 1 March 2026 for I-129 (H-1B, L-1, O-1, E, P, TN) and I-140 petitions.
- Cap-subject H-1B registrations are selected by a wage-weighted process (entered 1-4 times by OEWS wage level) from FY2027, replacing the random lottery; the rule took effect 27 February 2026.
- The separate USD 100,000 H-1B supplemental fee (19 September 2025 proclamation) remains in force — upheld by a federal district court in December 2025, appeal pending; it applies to certain new petitions for beneficiaries abroad and generally not to in-US change-of-status cases.
Routes affected
- H-1B Specialty Occupation
- L-1A Intracompany Transferee (Executive or Manager)
- L-1B Intracompany Transferee (Specialised Knowledge)
- O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
- EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Immigrant)
- EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW)
- EB-3 Skilled, Professional, and Other Workers
Primary source
Primary source
Federal Register — Premium processing adjustment (2026-00321) & wage-weighted H-1B selection (2025-23853) ↗ · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
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