US raises fast-track visa fees, making H-1B and investor visas costlier from March

CHENNAI: The US has raised the cost of using its premium processing service for a wide range of work and investment visas, a move that will make fast-tracked immigration applications more expensive for companies, investors and skilled professionals from around the world, including a large number of applicants from India.

The higher fees will apply to requests for premium processing filed on or after March 1, 2026. Premium processing is an optional service offered by US Citizenship and Immigration Services that allows applicants to receive a faster decision on certain visa petitions and related applications, usually within a fixed number of days.