Cost of H1B visa

[ShiraShira]

I am currently doing my prelim year on an OPT and plan to apply for an H1B visa next year. I know the application is still a few months ahead, but I wanted to make sure I save up, in case I have to pay for the lawyer fees.

So, I have a question for those who already have a H1B visa for residency. How much did it cost you when you applied? Did you do expedited or regular? Thanks a lot!

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[UBC2014]

If you go regular, there should be no cost to you as the resident. Costs should be borne by the residency. If you choose to expedite, then i believe you can pay - but some programs will also pay for that (more so in the case of non-opti)

 

[ShiraShira]

Really? Because I have heard of programs having residents pay lawyer fees... Is that possible?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Anything's possible, but it's not legal. That said, if a resident complains about it, the program will simply not get the visa.

 

[ShiraShira]

Thanks for the clarification. Does anyone have a ballpark estimate for lawyer and application fees, in case my program decides to not foot the bill?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I should clarify, it is technically legal for your employer to have you pay the expedited processing fee. The fee is optional, so the employer doesn't have to pay it. If your visa doesn't come through in time to start your job, your employer can either wait for you or can hire someone else. The premium processing fee is about $1200. I have been told by my institution that the legal fees end up being about $3K per visa, but you might be able to do better than that.