New Fees for US H-1B and L-1

President Bush has signed into law changes affecting the non-immigrant visa categories H-1B and L as announced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

The Omnibus Appropriations Act for FY 2005 reinstates and increases to $1500 a fee charged on U.S. employers sponsoring temporary workers under the H-1B with a reduced fee of $750 for employers employing no more than 25 full-time workers. In addition, a $500 Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee will be applied to petitions filed with USCIS after March 8, 2005 for petitioners seeking a beneficiaries initial grant of H-1B or L classification or seeking to change a beneficiary's employer within these classifications.