L-1 Visa Cost in 2026: USCIS Fees, the $4,500 9-11 Fee and What Employers Actually Pay

On one initial L-1 petition, government fees total $1,495 for a small employer and up to $9,950 for a covered 50/50 employer using premium processing, and here is every line.

Part of our guide to the L-1 visa.

L-1 visa cost, as of November 1, 2026: the USCIS filing fee for an L-1 petition on Form I-129 is $1,385 on paper or $1,335 online, or $695 for a small employer or nonprofit (fee schedule G-1055, edition 10/26/26). Add a $600 Asylum Program Fee ($300 small employer, $0 nonprofit), a $500 fraud fee on initial and change-of-employer petitions, an optional $2,965 for premium processing and, for covered "50/50" employers, $4,500 on initial and extension petitions alike (in effect since 2026-09-09). One initial petition costs $1,495 in government fees for a small employer and up to $9,950 for a covered employer using premium processing, before consular and legal costs.

Status line, as of 2026-11-01. In effect: G-1055 edition 10/26/26; the $4,500 Public Law 114-113 fee on L-1 extensions for covered employers (since 2026-09-09, confirmed by Policy Alert PA-2026-16 on 2026-10-27), for petitions filed on or before 2027-09-30; premium processing at $2,965 (since 2026-03-01); card or ACH payment only (since 2025-10-28). Scheduled: from 2026-11-09 USCIS accepts only the 09/09/26 edition of Form I-129, and mail sent to a pre-2026-10-07 address must be postmarked on or before 2026-11-09. Proposed, not law: removing deference on extensions and ending the worker 60-day grace period. Not an L-1 cost: Proclamation 11069's $100,000 H-1B payment. Unclear: the $250 Visa Integrity Fee.

This page is for the transferee and the HR lead at once, because the bill splits between you. If you are on F-1 OPT or H-1B and an employer is floating an L-1 instead, check one gate first: L-1 needs work for a related company abroad for "one continuous year within the three years immediately preceding" admission (USCIS L-1A page), so it rarely follows straight from OPT. L-1A status tops out at seven years and L-1B at five. Our L-1 intracompany transfer guide covers eligibility; this page covers money.

How much does an L-1 visa cost in 2026?

A regular employer pays $1,385 (paper) or $1,335 (online) plus the $600 Asylum Program Fee on any L-1 petition, and $500 more on an initial petition or a change of employer. A covered employer, with 50 or more US staff and more than half in H-1B or L-1 status, also pays $4,500, extensions included. Premium processing adds $2,965.

Vendor sites disagree on L-1 totals, so this table is built line by line from the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, and the Form I-129 page and its 09/09/26 instructions.

L-1 fee table, as of 2026-11-01 (G-1055 edition 10/26/26)

"Small employer" means 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees in the United States, "including any affiliates and subsidiaries", according to the I-129 instructions, which suggest the latest IRS Form 941 as evidence. The nonprofit rate is for specific institutions the instructions list, such as 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofit colleges. Premium processing has no small-employer discount. For how the L-1 lines compare with every other form, see our 2026 USCIS fee schedule breakdown.

Is L-1 cheaper or more expensive than H-1B?

The L filing fee ($1,385 paper) is higher than the H-1B base fee ($780 paper), but G-1055 lists no ACWIA training fee ($750 or $1,500 for H-1B) and no registration fee ($215 for H-1B, the FY2027 figure) for L petitions. For a covered employer the 9-11 fee also differs: $4,500 for L-1 against $4,000 for H-1B.

What is the $4,500 L-1 fee, and does your employer owe it?

The $4,500 is the fee Public Law 114-113 attaches to L-1 petitions from "covered employers". USCIS defines them in a footnote to Policy Alert PA-2026-16: "'Covered employers' are H-1B or L-1 petitioners who employ 50 or more employees in the United States, if more than 50 percent of the petitioner's employees in the aggregate are in H-1B, L-1A, or L-1B nonimmigrant status."

The test has four parts:

• Headcount. Fewer than 50 US employees means no $4,500, whatever the visa mix.
• Share. With 50 or more, divide the H-1B, L-1A and L-1B employees by all US employees. The alert says part-time and full-time employees both count.
• Filing date. As written, the fee covers petitions filed on or before 2027-09-30.
• Petition type. An amended petition that does not request an extension is exempt. Every other L-1 petition from a covered employer pays.

One wording wrinkle: the alert's background paragraph says "50 percent or more", while its own footnote, G-1055 and the I-129 instructions say "more than 50 percent". If your workforce sits right on that line, have the company's immigration attorney check the count before filing. Our explainer on the $4,500 L-1 extension fee for covered employers walks through the headcount test in more depth.

Does the $4,500 fee apply to L-1 extensions?

Yes, for covered employers, on petitions postmarked on or after 2026-09-09. A DHS final rule published 2026-08-10 (91 FR 51360, cited in the alert) extended the fee to extensions, and PA-2026-16 states that "the Public Law 114-113 fee applies to all L-1 petitions filed by covered employers postmarked on or before September 30, 2027, unless the petitioner is filing an amended petition that does not seek an extension of the alien's currently authorized L-1 status."

What changed, as of 2026-11-01

The H-1B side of the same rule ($4,000) is covered in our explainer on the new 9-11 fee on H-1B extensions.

Two worked examples: what employers actually pay

Government fees per scenario, as of 2026-11-01 (paper filing, G-1055 edition 10/26/26; online filing is $50 less for regular employers)

Example 1: a blanket L-1 at a 50/50 IT services firm

Suppose your employer is an IT services company with 3,000 US employees, 1,800 of them on H-1B or L-1. That is 60 percent, so it is a covered employer. It holds an approved blanket L petition, and you are transferring from its office abroad.

• Your visa interview (December 2026). USCIS charges $0 for Form I-129S. G-1055 says the State Department collects the $500 fraud fee "from the petitioner through a beneficiary" who applies at a consulate under a blanket, and its I-129S entry also lists the $4,500 fee for covered employers. Add your own visa application fee and one for each L-2 family member. Your consulate's instructions say how each fee is paid.
• A colleague's extension. A coworker already in the US on L-1B, with status ending 2027-07-31, has an extension postmarked 2027-05-14. The company files Form I-129 with Form I-129S, because USCIS says it "may reject any Form I-129 for an L-1 blanket extension of stay request that does not also include Form I-129S." Fees: $1,385 + $600 + $4,500 = $6,485, or $9,450 with premium. No fraud fee, because the employing entity is unchanged.
• After 2027-09-30. As G-1055 reads today, the $4,500 covers petitions filed on or before 2027-09-30; a later law or rule could change that date, so check the schedule in the filing month. When to file is a decision for the company's immigration counsel, because a late extension risks a gap in status.

The blanket L-1 qualification guide explains which companies can use the blanket route at all.

Example 2: a small multinational's individual L-1A petition

Now suppose a design-engineering group with 18 full-time-equivalent US employees, counting its US subsidiary and affiliates, transfers a manager from its Pune office on an individual L-1A petition. Eighteen is within the 25-or-fewer limit, so the reduced fees apply; it is under 50, so the $4,500 never applies.

• Initial petition: $695 + $300 + $500 = $1,495, or $4,460 with premium processing.
• Later extension: $695 + $300 = $995. If this were a new-office L-1A, whose first approval runs one year, that extension bill would arrive within a year.
• Family costs: a visa application fee per person at the consulate.

Is the $100,000 fee charged on L-1 petitions?

No. Proclamation 11069 reaches only workers under INA 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b), which is H-1B. It never names L-1, H-1B1, E-3, O-1 or TN. In G-1055, the $100,000 line sits only in the H-1B section; the L section lists the filing fee, Asylum Program Fee, fraud fee and $4,500 fee, nothing else.

Even for H-1B, the USCIS Form I-129 page notes that a court "vacated agency guidance implementing the $100,000 payment requirement". As of 2026-11-01 the proclamation is in effect on paper through 2027-09-21, while the payment is blocked by orders in California v. Mullin and Global Nurse Force v. Trump, both on appeal, and USCIS says "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment." None of that changes an L-1 bill.

What does the employee pay? Consular and L-2 costs

At the consulate, each applicant pays the State Department's application fee for petition-based visas, the category that includes L. The amount is on the State Department's Fees for Visa Services page; depending on nationality, a reciprocity-based issuance fee may apply too. L applicants, renewals included, interview in person under the State Department's interview waiver update (effective 2025-10-01), and since 2025-09-06 applicants generally apply in their country of nationality or residence. Check appointment availability on the Global Visa Wait Times page rather than trusting a number you read elsewhere.

The $250 Visa Integrity Fee is unclear as of 2026-11-01. It is in statute, but no Federal Register implementation notice has been found, and Boston University's ISSO reported in May 2026 that "some consular posts have begun charging" it. Ask your consulate or employer, and budget for the possibility.

For L-2 family members, the costs depend on where they are:

• Abroad: one visa application fee per person.
• Inside the US: Form I-539 ($470 paper / $420 online) to extend or change to L-2. G-1055 lists I-539 premium processing only for F, J and M categories.
• Work: an L-2 spouse is authorized to work incident to status, and an L-2S I-94 is evidence, so the I-765 ($520, paper filing only for category (a)(18)) is optional. On 2026-11-01 the USCIS tool showed 18 months for (a)(18) L-2 EADs (80 percent of cases). Our guide to L-2S work authorization without an EAD explains the I-94 route.

Who legally pays what?

The petition fees belong to the petitioner. The fraud-fee statute, 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(12), imposes it "on an employer filing a petition", and G-1055 lists the filing fee, Asylum Program Fee and $4,500 fee with the I-129. Premium processing is the petitioner's call: G-1055 says Form I-907 "may not be filed by a beneficiary or co-applicant of the primary form".

Two details differ from H-1B. For blanket L visas, the same statute imposes the $500 "on an alien filing an application abroad", which is why it is collected through you at the consulate even though G-1055 describes it as coming from the petitioner. And the I-129 instructions say the H-1B ACWIA fee "may not be assessed to the beneficiary", with no matching sentence for L fees; in our reading, the L evidence list also has no Labor Condition Application, the document that brings DOL's H-1B wage rules with it.

That does not mean an employer may bill you. Whether a repayment clause in an offer letter or transfer agreement is enforceable depends on the contract and state law, so take it to an employment or immigration attorney before you sign. A reimbursed visa fee may also have tax consequences; ask a tax professional who handles nonresident returns.

How do you pay L-1 fees correctly?

"Any petition that is not signed or accompanied by the correct fee will be rejected," the I-129 instructions warn, and "a petition is not considered properly filed until accepted by USCIS." For an extension, a rejection can cost you the timely-filing date.

1. Download the 09/09/26 edition of Form I-129 from uscis.gov/i-129; from 2026-11-09 it is the only edition accepted.
2. Count every US employee, part-time included, and the H-1B, L-1A and L-1B share, to answer the 9-11 question.
3. Check G-1055 on filing day for the L filing fee, Asylum Program Fee, fraud fee and $4,500 fee that apply.
4. Pay by card with Form G-1450 or by ACH with Form G-1650; only a Form G-1651 exemption allows a check.
5. Pay the $2,965 premium fee with Form I-907 as a separate payment if the employer wants premium processing.
6. Send the package to the current address on the USCIS filing-locations update, or upload it online: since 2026-10-07 USCIS takes PDF uploads for L-1 petitions, blanket L-1 included.
7. Book the consular interview for a blanket L or a consular-notified petition, and pay the State Department fees for you and each L-2 family member.

Time is a cost too. On 2026-11-01 the USCIS processing-times tool showed 6.5 months for I-129 L petitions (80 percent of cases), against 15 business days with premium. In FY2026 Q1-Q3, USCIS data show approval rates (approvals divided by approvals plus denials, initial and extension petitions combined) of 91.2 percent for L-1A and 91.3 percent for L-1B, with RFE rates of 25.9 and 29.4 percent. Those quarters predate Policy Alert PA-2026-05 of 2026-08-05. Each RFE response means more attorney time, and the $4,500 fee is not refunded after a denial.

What is pending that could change L-1 extension costs?

Nothing below is law as of 2026-11-01.

• Deference NPRM (proposed). RIN 1615-AD26 would delete 8 CFR 214.1(c)(5) for all I-129 extensions; DHS estimates about 6,044 more RFEs a year. Comments close 2026-11-13, and current deference applies until a final rule says otherwise.
• Worker grace period (proposed). A proposal to end the discretionary 60-day grace period for workers, L-1 included (RIN 1615-AD22), closes for comment 2026-11-10. The current 60 days applies.
• Premium processing timeframe (under OIRA review). A USCIS draft titled "Amending the Premium Processing Timeframe" (RIN 1615-AD25) has been at OIRA since 2026-10-13. Its text is not public; today's 15 business days and $2,965 apply.

Common mistakes

• Copying a vendor total instead of building it from G-1055. Check that the Asylum Program Fee is included and that no $500 fraud fee is added to an extension with the same employer.
• Treating the $4,500 as an initial-only fee. That was the rule before 2026-09-09. Covered employers now pay it on extensions too.
• Counting only full-time staff. Part-time employees count in the 50/50 test.
• Bundling the premium payment. G-1055 requires the I-907 fee to be paid separately from the other fees.
• Mailing a check or an old edition. Checks are rejected without a G-1651 exemption, and the 02/27/26 I-129 is not accepted from 2026-11-09.
• Expecting a refund after a denial. G-1055 says the $4,500 "may not be waived and is not refundable, regardless of any action taken on the petition."
• Filing a blanket extension without Form I-129S. USCIS may reject it.
• Adding the $100,000 H-1B payment to an L-1 budget. It does not apply to L-1.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an L-1 visa cost?

As of November 1, 2026, the USCIS filing fee for an L-1 petition is $1,385 on paper or $1,335 online, or $695 for small employers and nonprofits. Most employers also pay a $600 Asylum Program Fee ($300 small, $0 nonprofit) and a $500 fraud fee on initial and change-of-employer petitions; covered 50/50 employers add $4,500, and premium processing is an optional $2,965. One initial petition costs $1,495 in government fees for a small employer and up to $9,950 for a covered employer using premium processing, before consular and legal costs.

Who pays the L-1 visa fees, the employer or the employee?

The employer, as petitioner, submits the filing fee, Asylum Program Fee, $500 fraud fee and any $4,500 fee, and a beneficiary cannot file the premium processing request. The State Department visa application fee is charged to each applicant at the consulate, and for a blanket L the $500 fraud fee is collected through you at the appointment. Whether your employer may ask you to repay any of it is a contract question for an attorney.

What is the $4,500 L-1 fee?

It is the Public Law 114-113 fee, which USCIS also calls the 9-11 Biometric Fee. It applies only to covered employers, those with 50 or more US employees where more than 50 percent are in H-1B, L-1A or L-1B status, on petitions filed on or before September 30, 2027. The fee schedule says it may not be waived and is not refundable, whatever happens to the petition.

Does the $4,500 fee apply to L-1 extensions?

Yes, for covered employers, on petitions postmarked on or after September 9, 2026. A DHS final rule published August 10, 2026 extended the fee to extensions, and PA-2026-16 (October 27, 2026) confirms it for every L-1 petition from a covered employer postmarked on or before September 30, 2027, except an amended petition without an extension request. Before September 9, 2026 it applied only to initial petitions and changes of employer.

Is the $100,000 fee charged on L-1 petitions?

No. Proclamation 11069 reaches only H-1B workers under INA 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) and never names L-1, and G-1055 prints the $100,000 line only in its H-1B section. For H-1B itself, as of November 1, 2026 the proclamation is in effect on paper through September 21, 2027, but the payment is blocked by court orders now on appeal and is not being collected.

Sources

• USCIS, Fee Schedule G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) and the G-1055 PDF
• USCIS, PA-2026-16, Fee Guidance for L-1 Intracompany Transferees (2026-10-27)
• USCIS, Form I-129 page and instructions (09/09/26 edition)
• USCIS, L-1A intracompany transferee page
• USCIS, How do I request premium processing?
• USCIS, Filing locations and online filing updates and I-129 categories available by PDF upload
• USCIS, I-129 RFE and approval data, FY2026 Q3
• DHS, Removing Deference to Prior USCIS Determinations of Eligibility (proposed rule, 91 FR 65119, 2026-10-14)
• Proclamation 11069, 91 FR 60497
• 8 U.S.C. 1184 (Cornell LII)
• State Department, Fees for Visa Services and Global Visa Wait Times
• Boston University ISSO, Visa Integrity Fee (2026-05-19)

How we checked this: on 2026-11-01 we read G-1055 (edition 10/26/26), PA-2026-16, the Form I-129 page and its 09/09/26 instructions, the USCIS L-1A, premium-processing and PDF-upload pages, 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(12) and the deference proposal, and took the processing times and approval rates from the USCIS tool and FY2026 Q3 data file. We give no consular fee amount; use the State Department page.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own approval notice, I-94 and the fee schedule on filing day govern; take petition and status questions to a licensed immigration attorney, anything still tied to F-1 or OPT to your DSO, and reimbursement tax questions to a tax professional.

If you are on OPT, STEM OPT or H-1B and weighing an employer's transfer offer against a sponsored role here, F1Jobs can help you run a focused search for employers that sponsor.