The United States has announced a steep fee hike for H-1B, L-1, and EB-5 visas, which are commonly used by Indians to immigrate to the country. This is the first fee increase since 2016 and will be effective from April 1st.
The pilot renewal programme, launched on January 29, will run until April 1, allowing H-1B visa holders to renew their visas in the US before a temporary trip abroad.
In previous shutdowns, USCIS recognized delays caused solely by the government shutdown as excusable. For example, USCIS considered untimely H-1B extension applications without necessitating employees travel out of the USA for a visa.
US visa fee for visitors and certain other non-immigrant visa categories is now $185. For certain petition-based non-immigrant visas (NIV) for temporary workers, the fee has been increased from $190 to $205.