EB-1A filing fees cost around $1,015 for self-petition without premium processing. With employer-sponsorship, the cost goes up to $1,615 and more when you also consider Adjustment of Status (AOS), Employment Authorization, Advance Parole, and a medical exam.
The EB-1A Visa is an immigrant visa option for individuals with Extraordinary ability, recognized by the United States. It is a self-petition visa, which means you typically don’t need an employer, a job offer, or a PERM labor certification to file for it.
However, while it offers various benefits, the costs soon rack up when you consider other forms that may be required as part of your application. This article highlights the Eb-1A visa filing fees, what fees are optional, and what the total cost is by scenario.
An EB-1A visa is an employment-based visa for professionals with extraordinary ability. USCIS categorizes them as having “Extraordinary Ability” because they can prove that they are significantly in the top 1-3% in the field.
The EB-1A visa is a self-petition visa, meaning you do not need a sponsor, a job offer, or a PERM labor certification. It is the most direct and straightforward path to a green card provided you can demonstrate your extraordinary ability.
Learn more about the EB-1A visa, eligibility, and requirements in this article.
You must pay all EB-1A filing fees to USCIS, not to any immigration attorney or third-party law firm. Below are all the fees associated with the EB-1A visa.
For the wider cost picture beyond the EB-1A filing fee itself, see our full EB-1 visa cost breakdown.
Premium processing for EB-1A costs $2,695. This ensures you receive an action from USCIS within 15 business days. Premium processing does not guarantee that your visa will be approved. It only guarantees that you will receive priority action from USCIS about your petition; whether it’s an approval, denial, or a Request for Evidence (RFE). If you do not get a response from USCIS in 15 days, you will receive a full refund, and your case will still be processed following the standard timeline. Without premium processing, the EB-1A petitions take about 12 to 20 months processing time depending on the USCIS service center.
According our Beyond Border attorney’s, these are the most common scenarios when paying for premium processing is worth it;
Paying for premium processing is not a substitute or cover-up for a poor petition. The fee of $2,965 only accelerates a review of whatever you file. If you don’t submit a strong application or there are gaps in your documents, USCIS will issue an RFE or even denial within 15 days. The only thing premium processing changes is the speed of the outcome. This is where professionals like Beyond Border, come in to guide you in preparing your documents and filing your petition.
With a 98% approval rate, and over 4,000 cases handled, Beyond Border helps applicants build well-documented petitions that meet USCIS requirements and strengthens your petition.
Learn More About I-140 Premium Processing and Whether It Is Worth It
USCIS no longer accepts payments made by personal or business checks, money order, or cashier’s check for forms filed by paper unless you qualify for an exemption.
Here’s the updated process on how to pay your USCIS fees;
The final amount you pay for your EB-1A visa processing depends on different factors such as whether you are inside or outside the U.S., whether you opt for premium processing, if you work with a professional service, etc.
Nonetheless, here are the cost of some common scenarios;
Once your Form I-140 is approved and your priority date is “current” in the visa bulletin, you have two options for a green card; Adjustment of Status or Consular processing.
Here’s what each path costs;
Beyond Border is an immigration firm that works exclusively with highly-skilled professionals on self-sponsored employment-based visas, such as; EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-2 NIW, O-1, and L-1 visas. We have a 98% approval rate, across 4,000+ cases that have been handled. We provide same-day advice to our clients, helping you every stage of the process. In addition, we;
Our client base include professionals from Google, Salesforce, Visa, Mastercard, and Yelp. For Indian professionals in the EB-2 queue while filing for EB-1A, we evaluate your eligibility and provide you with the most actionable strategy.
Book a consultation today to speak with an expert and begin your EB-1A petition.
Yes, you do. The Asylum Program Fee is a compulsory surcharge introduced by USCIS in addition to the I-140 base filing fee. Self-petitioners (including all EB-1A applicants) and small employers with less than 25 employees pay $300, while large employers with more than 25 employees pay $600. Non-profit organizations pay $0.
Unfortunately, you can not. Fee waivers are available for certain humanitarian immigration categories. It does not apply to employment-based I-140 petitions.
Each adult dependent (children above age 14) that files their Form I-485 costs an extra $1,440. Children below the age of 14 cost $950. This means the cost for a family of four (two adults and two children) adds $3,830 extra to the applicant's fee for Adjustment of Status.
No. Because EB-1A is self-petition, you will pay all the fees yourself. In H-1B visa processing, USCIS prohibits employers from passing certain fees to the beneficiary, but in EB-1A such rules do not exist. All fees are paid to USCIS, separate from any fees you pay to immigration firms like Beyond Border.
It takes roughly between 12 to 20 months from the initial filing of your Form I-140 to when you receive your green card to get an EB-1A visa. The process is divided into two stages; The I-140 petition and the Green Card application (I-485), whether through Adjustment of Status or consular processing.
Sophia is an experienced writer with over six years of experience researching and producing clear, authoritative content across legal, immigration, and highly regulated industries. Her background spans legal and immigration content, B2B SaaS, and multilingual content strategy, including producing legally accurate content across markets like the UK, UAE, Canada, France, and Germany. At Beyond Border, she leads editorial strategy across O-1, EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, L-1, and H-1B visa content, combining search-data-driven planning with clear, accurate writing to help global professionals navigate the U.S. immigration system.
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