H-1B Fees - Johns Hopkins Office of International Services

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Each H-1B petition must be accompanied by USCIS filing fees. Departments will enter the Cost Center or Internal Order (CC/IO) into the Information About the Position eForm that should be charged. Within one week of assigning the case to an H-1B advisor, OIS will request all checks related to USCIS fees directly from Accounts Payable. Each H-1B case will require an I-129 fee and the USCIS Premium Processing fee, along with the H-1B anti-fraud fee, when applicable. OIS will execute a single cost transfer for the total of all USCIS checks plus shipping cost recovery to the CC/IO the department provides in the “Information About the Position” eForm. If the department enters multiple CC/IO numbers, OIS will use the first CC/IO provided.

H-1B Filing Fees

The Department of Labor considers H-1B filing fees a business expense. As such, the sponsoring department is responsible for H-1B filing fees.

FEE DESCRIPTION	AMOUNT	WHEN REQUIRED
H-1B I-129 Fee	$460	All H-1B cases
Department of Homeland Security Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee	$500	Any H-1B case where the individual: 1) does not currently work for JH or 2) works for JH but is not already in H-1B status
USCIS Premium Processing Fee	$2,805	USCIS will have 15 business days to take action on a case under Premium Processing. This could be an approval, a request for additional evidence, or a denial.
What is Premium Processing? “Premium Processing” is a separate application filed with USCIS by the employer to expedite adjudication of an H-1B application. With Premium Processing, USCIS has 15 business days to take action on the case. Premium Processing does not speed up H-1B processing in the OIS, LCA processing at the Department of Labor, nor visa issuance by a U.S. Consulate. Refer to H-1B Timelines. Effective February 26, 2024, the Premium Processing fee increased from $2,500 t0 $2,805.

Other Costs

If an H-1B beneficiary’s employment is terminated by the employer before the end of the authorized period of stay, the sponsoring department will be responsible for the reasonable costs of return transportation for the H-1B beneficiary to their last place of foreign residence. [This does not apply when the beneficiary voluntarily terminates employment]. Although no penalty is specified, should the employer fail to offer to pay the reasonable cost of a one-way airline ticket, a complaint from the H-1B beneficiary asserting non-compliance may be considered by USCIS in its adjudication of future petitions from the employer. USCIS expects the employer to meet this obligation, although it does not directly verify compliance. At JHU reimbursement for the reasonable cost of return transportation will be the responsibility of the hiring department.