Before the recent change in 2025, the cost for an H1B visa application ranged roughly between $2,000 and $5,000 per application depending on the employer's size. This included various fees such as a basic filing fee of around $460, a Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee of $500, the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA) fee of $750 or $1,500 depending on employer size, and an optional premium processing fee of $2,805. Visa stamping fees at US consulates were separate and typically about $205. Overall, the total costs for an H1B visa application before 2025 averaged around $2,500 but could be higher depending on additional fees and services.
In contrast, starting from late September 2025, the administration under President Donald Trump raised the fee for new H1B visa applications dramatically to $100,000, a one-time payment for each new application, which is a major increase from previous charges.
