H1B & Green Card
Cost & Timeline Calculator

Calculate the total cost of your US work visa and green card journey — including USCIS fees, attorney costs, and your estimated wait time based on country of birth.

✓ Free · No signup 2024 USCIS fees Priority date wait times India / China backlogs included

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Visa / Green Card Path

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Use Premium Processing for H-1B ($2,805 — 15 business days) Use Premium Processing for I-140 ($2,805 — 15 business days) Include estimated attorney fees

Total Estimated Cost

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USCIS Fees

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Attorney Fees

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Priority Date Wait

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H-1B & Green Card Costs Explained (2024)

The cost of an H-1B and employment-based green card is spread across multiple stages and years. Most fees are paid by the employer, but employees often pay out of pocket for personal immigration attorneys and certain petitions like EB-2 NIW.

H-1B Filing Fees (2024)

Fee	Large Employer	Small / Nonprofit	Who Pays
I-129 Base Filing Fee	$730	$730	Employer (required)
ACWIA Training Fee	$1,500	$750	Employer (required)
Fraud Prevention Fee	$500	$500	Employer (initial only)
Asylum Program Fee	$600	$0–300	Employer (nonprofits exempt)
Premium Processing (optional)	$2,805	$2,805	Employer or employee

Green Card Priority Date Wait Times (2024)

The biggest variable in US immigration is the priority date backlog — how long you wait once your I-140 is approved. This depends entirely on your country of birth and visa category. For workers born in India, the EB-2 and EB-3 backlogs are measured in decades.

Category	India	China	Philippines / Mexico	All Others
EB-1A/B	3–6 years	3–5 years	Current	Current
EB-2 (PERM/NIW)	15–20+ years	4–7 years	1–2 years	Current
EB-3	20+ years	4–7 years	1–3 years	Current–1 year

What Indian Workers Should Know

EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability) has a shorter backlog (~3–6 years) than EB-2/EB-3. If you have publications, patents, awards, or press coverage, self-petitioning EB-1A may be faster.
EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) lets highly educated professionals self-petition without employer sponsorship or PERM. The backlog is the same as EB-2, but it removes employer dependency.
O-1 Visa is an alternative to H-1B for workers with extraordinary ability. No lottery, no cap, renewable indefinitely — but requires strong evidence of achievements.
AC21 portability lets you change employers after your I-485 has been pending for 180+ days — crucial for navigating long waits.

Priority Date Wait by Country (EB-2)

Country	Approx. Wait
India	15–20+ years
China (mainland)	4–7 years
Philippines	1–2 years
Mexico	1–2 years
All others	Current

Dates shift monthly. Check travel.state.gov for the current Visa Bulletin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my employer charge me H-1B fees?

No. DOL regulations prohibit employers from passing the ACWIA training fee, fraud prevention fee, or asylum program fee to employees. Employees may pay for their own personal legal representation, but cannot be required to pay the mandatory employer fees.

What is PERM labor certification?

PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) is a Department of Labor process where your employer must prove no qualified US worker is available for your position. It's required for EB-2 and EB-3 green cards (but not EB-1 or EB-2 NIW). PERM currently takes 12–20 months at DOL and has no government filing fee — but attorney fees are typically $3,000–$6,000.

What is the H-1B lottery?

Each year USCIS receives far more H-1B petitions than the 85,000 annual cap (65,000 regular + 20,000 master's). USCIS runs a random lottery in March/April. If selected, the employer can file your petition. If not selected, you must try again the following year. Cap-exempt employers (universities, nonprofits, government research) do not go through the lottery.

Should I apply for EB-1A to skip the India backlog?

EB-1A has a ~3–6 year backlog for India (much better than EB-2's 15–20 years). To qualify, you must show extraordinary ability through evidence in 3+ of 10 criteria: awards, publications, press, judging, high salary, membership in elite associations, critical role, artistic display, original contributions, or commercial success. Many experienced software engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs qualify without realizing it.

What happens to my green card case if I change jobs?

If your I-485 has been pending for 180+ days, you can change to a "same or similar" job under AC21 portability without losing your priority date. If you change jobs before 180 days, your I-485 will be abandoned. Your I-140 approval and priority date remain valid even if your original employer withdraws the petition (after I-485 is pending 180+ days).

H1B & Green CardCost & Timeline Calculator