On August 31, 2018, the United States and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they are adjusting the premium processing fee for Form I-129 and I-140. Beginning on October 1, 2018, the premium processing fee will increase from the current fee of $1,225 to $1,410, a 14.92 percent increase.
Form I-129 and I-140, the form types affected by this fee increase, are utilized in a variety of non-immigrant and immigrant petitions including H-1B, L-1, and EB-3 categories.
The last adjustment in premium processing fee was in 2010 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers. The increase is to reflect inflation and USCIS intends to utilize the additional premium processing funds that are generated by the fee increase to hire additional staff and make investments in information technology systems.