US: premium processing rises to $2,965 and H-1B moves to wage-weighted selection

What changed

• Policy claim 1

  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.

  Claim ID: us-2026-03-premium-and-h1b-selection#claim-1·Cite this claim

  Source: USCIS - How do I request premium processing? (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)·source verified 28 June 2026·page reviewed 1 June 2026

• Policy claim 2

  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.

  Claim ID: us-2026-03-premium-and-h1b-selection#claim-2·Cite this claim

  Source: USCIS - How do I request premium processing? (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)·source verified 28 June 2026·page reviewed 1 June 2026

• Policy claim 3

  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.

  Claim ID: us-2026-03-premium-and-h1b-selection#claim-3·Cite this claim

  Source: USCIS - How do I request premium processing? (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)·source verified 28 June 2026·page reviewed 1 June 2026

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

More United States of America changes →

• 1 April 2024

  USCIS final fee rule takes effect