Immigration & VisaPopular

US Work Visa Sponsorship Cost Estimator

Estimate the total employer cost to sponsor an H-1B worker in 2026, including the I-129 filing fee, ACWIA training fee, fraud prevention fee, Public Law 114-113 fee, asylum program fee, premium processing, and attorney fees.

Petition

Petition Type

Include Lottery Registration Fee?

Employer Profile

Employer Size

Employer Type

H-1B Dependent or Willful Violator? (Pub. L. 114-113)

Premium Processing

Attorney Fees (total)

Typical H-1B attorney fees range from $2,000 to $5,000 for a straightforward petition.

Employer Cost

Select petition and employer details and click estimate.

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Introduction

Sponsoring an H-1B worker in 2026 is a stack of separate government fees plus attorney costs, and most of the fees must legally be paid by the employer, not the employee. The USCIS H and L filing fee page and the USCIS fee schedule set the current amounts. The Form I-129 base fee is $780 for standard employers (or $460 for small employers and nonprofits), the ACWIA training fee is $750 or $1,500 depending on headcount, the fraud prevention fee is $500, the asylum program fee is $300 or $600, and optional premium processing is $2,805. A straightforward petition without premium processing typically costs an employer $2,000 to $6,000 in government fees, and a premium case with outside counsel can run past $7,000 to $10,000. This estimator adds up the fees by employer size and petition type so HR teams can budget accurately.

What This Calculator Does

This tool estimates the total employer cost to sponsor an H-1B worker in 2026. Select the petition type (initial, transfer, or extension), employer size (25 or fewer versus 26+ FTE employees), and employer type (for-profit versus higher ed / nonprofit / research). It applies the registration fee, I-129 filing fee, ACWIA training fee, fraud prevention fee, optional Public Law 114-113 fee, asylum program fee, optional premium processing, and your attorney fee estimate. It reports a line-item breakdown and the total sponsorship cost.

The Formula

Total cost = I-129 fee + ACWIA fee (if applicable) + Fraud fee (if initial or transfer) + Public Law 114-113 fee (if dependent or willful violator) + Asylum fee (if for-profit) + Registration fee (if cap-subject initial) + Premium processing (if selected) + Attorney fees.

The I-129 base filing fee is $780 for standard for-profit employers and $460 for small employers (25 or fewer FTEs) and nonprofit institutions. The ACWIA training fee is $750 for employers with 25 or fewer employees and $1,500 for employers with 26 or more, and it applies to initial petitions and transfers but not extensions by the same employer. The $500 fraud prevention fee applies to initial and transfer petitions. The Public Law 114-113 fee of $4,000 applies to H-1B dependent employers and willful violators on initial and transfer petitions. The asylum program fee is $600 for standard for-profit employers and $300 for small employers, and nonprofits are exempt. Premium processing is $2,805 and is the only fee the employee may pay. The $215 registration fee applies only to cap-subject initial petitions entering the lottery.

Step-by-Step Example

Select petition type

A mid-size tech company sponsoring a new H-1B selects 'Initial H-1B (new employment)'.

Set employer size and type

They have 26+ FTE employees and are for-profit, so they pay the standard I-129 ($780), ACWIA ($1,500), and asylum ($600) fees.

Add premium processing and attorney fees

They select premium processing ($2,805) and enter $3,500 in attorney fees.

Read the total

Registration $215 + I-129 $780 + ACWIA $1,500 + fraud $500 + asylum $600 + premium $2,805 + attorney $3,500 = $9,900 total employer cost.

Real-World Use Cases

HR Sponsorship Budgeting

An HR team building the annual immigration budget estimates the per-petition cost across initial hires, transfers, and extensions to forecast total spend.

Small Employer Cost Comparison

A startup with 20 employees compares its reduced fee structure ($460 I-129, $750 ACWIA, $300 asylum) against the standard large-employer fees to quantify the small-employer advantage.

Premium Processing Decision

An employer weighing a 15-day premium decision against standard multi-month processing models the $2,805 cost against the business cost of a delayed start date.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Passing fees to the employee. The ACWIA fee, fraud fee, asylum fee, and Public Law 114-113 fee must be paid by the employer. Passing them to the employee is a violation and a common audit finding. Only premium processing may be paid by the employee.
Forgetting the prevailing wage obligation. Beyond the filing fees, the employer must pay the prevailing wage determined by the Department of Labor for the role and location. Underpaying triggers back-wage liability and disqualification from the program.
Misclassifying employer size. The ACWIA and asylum fee discounts turn on whether you have 25 or fewer FTE employees. Miscounting contractors or affiliated entities can lead to underpayment and RFEs. Count full-time equivalents carefully.
Ignoring extension fee differences. The ACWIA fee and fraud fee do not apply to a same-employer extension. Budgeting an extension at the initial-petition cost overstates the spend. Use the extension petition type in the calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost an employer to sponsor an H-1B in 2026?

For a standard for-profit employer with 26+ employees filing an initial petition without premium processing, the government fees total about $3,380 ($780 I-129 plus $1,500 ACWIA plus $500 fraud plus $600 asylum). With premium processing ($2,805) and attorney fees ($2,000 to $5,000), the total runs $8,000 to $11,000. Small employers (25 or fewer) and nonprofits pay less.

Which H-1B fees must the employer pay?

The employer must pay the I-129 filing fee, the ACWIA training fee, the fraud prevention and detection fee, the asylum program fee, and the Public Law 114-113 fee where applicable. The employer cannot pass these to the employee. The $215 registration fee is also paid by the employer. Premium processing ($2,805) is the only fee the employee is allowed to pay.

What is the ACWIA fee and when does it apply?

The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act training fee funds U.S. worker training programs. It is $750 for employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees and $1,500 for employers with 26 or more. It applies to initial H-1B petitions and transfers (change of employer), but not to a same-employer extension. Higher education institutions, affiliated nonprofits, and research organizations are exempt.

Is premium processing required for an H-1B?

No, premium processing is optional. It costs $2,805 and guarantees USCIS processing within 15 business days or a refund of the premium fee. Without it, processing can take several months. Many employers use it for predictability, especially when a start date is time-sensitive. It is the only H-1B fee the employee may pay.

Accuracy and Disclaimer

This calculator uses the 2026 USCIS H-1B fee schedule. It does not include the prevailing wage obligation, the labor condition application process, anti-backlash recruitment costs for H-1B dependent employers, consular processing fees, dependent visa fees, or the proposed $100,000 consular processing payment that may apply in limited circumstances. Fee rules and exemptions are complex. This is not legal advice. Consult an immigration attorney for your specific petition.

Conclusion

The H-1B cost is mostly fixed by regulation, so the lever is preparation: a complete petition avoids RFEs and re-filing, and premium processing buys predictability. Run your scenario here to budget the sponsorship, then check the prevailing wage requirement with the Department of Labor FLAG system before you file. For the broader hiring cost picture, pair this with our Employee Cost Calculator.

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