What mandatory fees does the employer pay?

In the H-1B, some fees are the sole responsibility of the employer. U.S. law prohibits passing these costs on to the sponsored professional, precisely because sponsorship is a company obligation.

The fees that typically fall on the employer include:

• The registration and petition filing fee.
• The training fee, known as the ACWIA, whose amount varies according to the size of the company.
• The fraud prevention and detection fee.
• An additional fee applicable to certain larger employers, based on the composition of their workforce.

Beyond these, the company may opt for premium processing, a separately paid service that expedites adjudication and is not required.

The amounts, tiers, and criteria for each fee change frequently, so do not rely on estimates: verify the current figures directly from the official source (USCIS) or with a specialist before calculating the total cost of the process.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.