Who pays the USCIS I-129 fee?

As a general rule, for the L-1 visa the USCIS I-129 petition fee (the intracompany transfer petition) is paid by the employer sponsoring the employee, not by the transferred worker.

This makes sense because, in the L-1, the petitioner is the company: it is the one requesting the internal transfer and assuming the sponsorship obligations before the immigration authorities. Placing certain fees on the employer also helps avoid conflicts of interest in the process.

Keep in mind that a visa process can involve different fees and forms, and the rules on who must cover each one are subject to change. For this reason, this overview is general and does not replace a review of the specific case.

Before defining who pays what, confirm the applicable fees and current responsibilities at the official source (USCIS) or with an immigration professional, and be cautious of promises of easy solutions without proper backing.

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.