USCIS Springs Unseasonable Costs and Demands on American Employers

With spring approaching, US businesses that sponsor noncitizen workers for employment- based immigration benefits are accustomed to weathering seasonal changes. Most employers are likely ready for the initial FY 2025 H-1B lottery registration season. But beyond the usual H-1B registration pressures, these are the "[immigration] times that try [employer's] souls." American businesses now face particularly inclement headwinds stirred up by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component tasked with deciding immigration- benefits requests. Here are the latest USCIS tempests: Increased Premium Processing Fees Effective February 26, 2024, the agency (with congressional authorization) imposed higher, inflation- adjusted premium processing fees that must be filed to expedite an application. For example, premium processing of: