We recognize that units across the University continue to navigate tight budgets and complex planning needs. With that in mind, we want to provide advance notice of upcoming changes to the International Scholars Operations (ISO) visa processing fees. These changes will take effect on July 1, 2026, and are based on updated cost analysis designed to better align fees with the work required for each visa type while improving equity across units.
What’s changing:
J-1 visa requests
ISO will move from per-person, per-year billing to a flat fee per visa request for J visas. Under this new structure, most J-1 visa requests will be substantially less expensive than under the current model. As an example, under the current structure a visa request for one J-1 with three J-2 dependents, covering a period of two years, would be billed eight J-1 fees ($4,152 at the current rate). Under the new fee structure, this same visa request would be billed a single J-1 fee ($522 at the new rate).
H, TN, and E-3 visa requests
Fees for H-1B, TN, and E-3 visa requests will be updated to reflect the higher level of staff time, professional development, and other costs required for these cases.
EB-2 special handling permanent residence sponsorship
A new fee will be created for EB-2 special handling permanent residence sponsorship to more fairly apportion costs involved in this process. Creating a separate fee ensures that these costs are more equitably allocated to the units that directly benefit from this service.
Other adjustments
- The J amendment fee will increase slightly
- The O-1/EB-1B hourly fee will decrease to reflect updated cost analysis
ISO fees under the new structure:
| J visa fee (per visa request) |
J amendment fee (per request; includes Add J-2 Dependent) |
O-1/EB-1B* (hourly fee) | H/TN/E-3 visa fee* (per visa request) |
EB-2 Special Handling Permanent Residence* (per visa request) | |
|
2026-27 rate |
$522 | $102 | $85 | $1,069 | $1,581 |
| 2025-26 rate | $519 | $99 | $102 | $519 | N/A |
| % change | 0.6% | 3.5% | -17.1% | 106% |
N/A |
*Please note these fees do not include fees charged by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.
Timing, billing and reimbursement
Visa requests that are conditionally approved on or after July 1, 2026 will be charged at the new rate. Updated fees will appear on invoices issued on or after July 2. These new fees will apply through June 30, 2027; units should expect that fees will change again effective on or after July 1, 2027.
Please note that all fees associated with H-1B, E-3, TN, O-1/EB-1B, and permanent residence sponsorship, including the related visa request fees, are paid by the host department and cannot be passed on to the international scholar.
For J-1 scholars who are not members of the UAW Postdoctoral Scholars Local 4121, reimbursement may be requested by the department from scholars for the J visa request fee and J-1 amendment fee. The UAW 4121 2023-25 contract prevents units from requesting reimbursement for J-1 visa fees from postdoctoral scholars.
For more information on visa processing fees and U.S. government visa fees, see the Visa Fees page; this page will be updated on July 1 to reflect these changes. Please contact ISO with questions you have regarding this announcement.
FAQ:
Q: Why does ISO charge fees?
A: ISO is a recharge unit; all salaries, technology, supplies, and professional development costs for ISO are directly supported by fees for services rather than by UW general operating funds.
Q: Why isn’t the J visa request fee going down if other fees are going up?
A: Changes to how the J visa request is billed (by ending per-person, per-year billing) means that most J visa requests will be significantly cheaper, and ISO’s total billing for J-1s will be significantly lower, than they have been heretofore, even if the fee itself will not change significantly.
Q: Why is the new H visa request fee so high?
A: H visa requests require significantly more work and application of specialized knowledge than J-1s. The higher fee reflects the increased costs associated with this visa type. The new fee is also consistent with fees charged by peer institutions and is significantly cheaper than those charged by private law offices.
Q: Why do we have to pay for EB-2 permanent residence sponsorship when we didn’t before?
A: EB-2 sponsorship requires significant work and specialized knowledge. Previously the cost of this work was being redistributed over the visa request fees for other visa types processed by ISO, meaning that some units were effectively subsidizing “free” permanent residence sponsorship for faculty in other units. Creating a separate fee for this sponsorship redistributes those costs more equitably to the units that will directly benefit from it.
Q: At what point in the visa process will units be billed the new visa request fee for EB-2 Special Handling Permanent Residence sponsorship?
A: For any EB-2 permanent residence initiated after June 30, 2026, ISO will contact the unit to submit an EB-2 visa request form; submission to DOL (Step 6 on our How to Sponsor EB-2 Permanent Residence page) will not occur until that visa request form has been received and approved. ISO advisors will work with units to manage associated timelines and processes.
Q: Can our unit still sponsor O-1A Extraordinary Ability visas and EB-1B permanent residence through the outside counsel pilot program?
A: Yes. ISO still partners with an outside immigration law firm to support O-1 and EB-1B sponsorship for eligible faculty members. Please note that this service typically has higher associated fees than processing through ISO. To find more information regarding outside counsel sponsorship, please see our webpages on O-1A Extraordinary Ability Visas and How to Sponsor EB-1B Permanent Residence. Note that all EB-2 Special Handling cases for permanent residence sponsorship will continue to be processed exclusively through ISO.