Legal fees aside, the filing fees are $1575 for a company with less than 25 FT employees and $2325 for a company with 25 or more FT employees. These are the fees for regular processing which can take months at present, so premium processing is required for quick decision and this costs an additional $1125.
Thank you! I know that mileage varies, but could you give a ballpark for what legal fees might be for a "plain vanilla" case? At the other end of the spectrum, what are the highest fees you've ever seen from one individual?
One good thing to remember is that USCIS refunds the entire $2,325 or $1,575 application fee, if you do not win the H-1B lottery. So applying for someone is fairly low risk, cost-wise.
Attorney fees vary, but some will only charge part of their fee initially, and the rest is only payable if your engineer wins the H1B visa lottery and their visa petition is approved.
I just googled, and one[1] attorney ("Zhang and Associates, P.C.") splits their effective $2400 fee in two: they charge $1200 for the application, and only charge another $1200 if the the person wins the lottery and their application is approved. Another[2] charges $895 for the application, and no more.
With the Zhang & Associates, the total cost of just trying to get your engineer an H1B visa is $1200. If they win the lottery (odds: 1 out 3) and get approved, the total cost rises to $4,725. With premium processing, it's $5,950.
Even though tempting, it might be better to avoid lower cost attorneys (e.g. that charge below $1000). A good highly knowledgeable (thus, more expensive) attorney is strongly preferable. Even the slightest error can jeopardize an application. In addition, USCIS issues various rules and notices from time to time, and it's good to have an attorney who's on top of all of that.
An east coast attorney "Jerry C. Chang Law Office, P.C." charges $2,000 as their fee, plus another $800 if USCIS asks for additional information while processing the H1B petition.
Also be aware that everyone finds out if they won the lottery at about the same time, regardless of premium processing. So if you trust your lawyer to do the job correctly, and you're not trying anything sketchy, if you win the lottery you should get a "yes" decision eventually, and there's really no reason to pay the premium fee except for reducing anxiety waiting for the "yes".
