H-1B Fees
Filing Fees
The Department of Labor considers H-1B filing fees a business expense. As such, the sponsoring department must provide the OIS with JHU-issued checks made payable to the US Department of Homeland Security to cover all filing fees. A separate check from the sponsoring department is required for each applicable fee. Even though they have the same payee, all fees must be in separate checks.
**NEW**
The OIS is now located at Keswick in the same building [North] as Accounts Payable [AP]. Effective immediately, sponsoring departments should submit their check requests to AP for “PICK UP.” Please refer to these helpful screenshots when placing check requests. When entering the check request please use code “10” for pick up *and* ask AP to e-mail H1B-employment@jhu.edu. Accounts Payable will notify the Department *and* H1B-Employment@jhu.edu when the checks are ready. An OIS staff member will collect the checks and match the check(s) to the H-1B Advisor who is handling the case. Checks should NEVER be sent to USCIS directly.
All checks must have the name of the foreign national/H-1B Applicant whose case the fee relates to clearly marked on the check. We understand that putting the name in the "NOTES" section will ensure the name appears on the "Comments" section of the printed check. Please use Vendor Number: 2057123. The address for the US Department of Homeland Security should be the California Service Center address [Laguna Niguel, CA], but checks made payable to US Department of Homeland Security for another Service Center address will also be accepted. The OIS created a MEMO for Accounts Payable to assist Departments.
| 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 | $2,500 | USCIS will have 15 calendar days to adjudicate a case under Premium Processing. This could be an approval, a request for additional evidence or a denial.
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Premium Processing ONLY expedites processing at the USCIS stage. It does NOT speed up processing in OIS or the US Department of Labor, or issuance of the H-1B visa stamp by the US Department of State if the individual is waiting abroad for approval of the H-1B petition by USCIS. If premium processing is solely for the convenience of the foreign national may be paid by the foreign national. Please consult the OIS advisor handling the H-1B case to discuss. Meeting a certain JHU start date or other work-related reasons do not constitute convenience of the foreign national; personal travel and family issues do, as well as rushing a change of status to H-1B when one is not necessary from an employment perspective. The OIS must pre-approve any Premium Processing payment made by the foreign national/H-1B Applicant.
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Return Transportation Costs
If an H-1B beneficiary’s employment is terminated before the end of the authorized period of stay, the sponsoring department will be responsible for paying 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, return transportation costs will be the responsibility of the hiring department.
