H-1B, L-1 visa extensions get costlier from Sept 9: What changes and who pays

US to charge H-1B, L-1 extension fee from September 9. The US has expanded the scope of a visa fee that could significantly raise immigration costs for large employers, with the USD 4,000 charge for H-1B petitions and USD 4,500 fee for L-1 petitions now set to apply to certain visa extension filings from September 9.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the revised rule will cover employers that meet the following criteria:Have at least 50 employees in the US; andHave more than 50 per cent of their US workforce on H-1B or L-1 visas.For employers meeting these conditions, the fee will now apply not only to initial H-1B and L-1 petitions and certain change-of-employer petitions, but also to qualifying extension-of-stay petitions for existing employees.Fee scope widenedEarlier, the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee generally applied to initial H-1B and L-1 petitions and certain cases involving a change of employer. Routine extension petitions filed by the same employer were generally exempt from this particular fee.DHS said the new interpretation corrects its earlier reading of the law and requires covered employers to pay the biometric fee for all qualifying extensi...