Category: Visas

Effective November 10th, and consistent with recently-released USCIS guidance, UW is ending the “pause” on filing new H-1B petitions related to the $100,000 fee announced on September 19, 2025. International Scholars Operations (ISO) will start moving individual affected H-1B cases forward, as follows:

• According to the latest USCIS guidance, the $100,000 fee is not required for changes of status to H-1B, or for amendments, extensions, or transfers of existing H-1B status, for persons already in the U.S. ISO will therefore move these cases forward for filing where possible.
• For candidates coming from abroad who did not have H-1B petitions filed as of September 21, 2025 and who would therefore presumably be subject to the new fee, ISO will identify other options in consultation with academic unit and school/college/campus leadership. Those options may include, but are not limited to:
  • Sponsorship in other visa types (J-1, TN, E-3, O-1)
  • National interest exemptions to the fee
  • Delaying start dates in cases where the above options aren’t viable
• For new H visa requests for candidates coming from outside the U.S., units may only pay the fee in cases that meet both of the following conditions:
  • No other visa options (change of status inside the U.S., J-1, O-1, TN, E-3) available, or other visa options have already been exhausted, and
  • Positions are deemed essential and considered mission-critical to university academic, administrative, and/or clinical operations.
  • For individuals currently performing or expected to perform critical work, a third condition must be met: interruption through turnover/failed hire could be costly.
• Final approval for payment of the $100,000 fee will sit with:
  • The Dean’s Office of the School of Medicine, for UW Medicine clinical appointments only, or
  • The Provost’s Office for all other school/college/campuses and position types.
• The $100,000 fee may not be paid out of General Operating Funds.

ISO will reach out to school/college/campus leadership over the next two week to identify affected cases and discuss options. Please do not reach out with inquiries on individual cases at this time.

USCIS has announced that it will no longer accept checks as a payment method for any filing fee as of October 29, 2025, and will transition entirely to electronic payment methods instead. Those methods include the Form G-1450 Authorization for Credit Card Transactions.

ISO has experienced higher USCIS rejection rates with petitions filed using G-1450 for fee payment. We recommend that units adhere to the following best practices in using Form G-1450 to avoid rejection:

1. Don’t provide the Form(s) G-1450 until ISO requests it.
2. Make sure the card in question is activated and remains valid.
3. Make sure the total fees paid will not exceed daily limits on the card. For example, an H-1B filed with premium processing requires at least $3265 in fees.
4. Complete a separate Form G-1450 for each filing fee. USCIS will reject G-1450s that combine different fee amounts.
5. Fill out the PDF of the form using a PDF editor (like Acrobat), then print it and sign in ink. USCIS will reject G-1450s that they suspect were not signed in ink.
6. Check the card number and expiration date to make sure they’re accurate before signing.
7. Provide to ISO by:

1. 1. Mailing the signed original to Box 351245 or dropping it off at 400 Gerberding Hall (preferred), or
   2. Scanning and uploading to the Manage Files page for the relevant visa request

ISO will update its Visa Fees page to reflect this change within the next few weeks, and follow up with units on any active cases where we have already received filing fee checks.

Please contact us with any questions you have about these changes.

As of October 1st, the U.S. federal government has entered a shutdown pending Congressional approval of a budget for the new federal fiscal year.

ISO and government agency processes that will be affected:

• U.S. Department of Labor processing
  ISO cannot draft or submit ETA-9035 Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for H-1B/E-3 sponsorship, or ETA-9141 Prevailing Wage Determinations or ETA-9089 Applications for Permanent Employment Certification for permanent residence sponsorship. DOL will not certify or issue any of these applications that have already been submitted.

Any H-1B visa request that has not had an LCA submitted yet will not be able to move forward until the shutdown is resolved.  See How to Sponsor an H-1B at Steps 8 and 9 for more information.

Most ISO and government agency processes should not be affected:

• Initial ISO review and processing
  Units can still submit H and J visa requests, and ISO can still review and approve them.

• Processing in SEVIS
  ISO can still issue DS-2019s for J-1 exchange visitors.

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services processing
  ISO can still file I-129 petitions for H-1B/E-3 sponsorship and I-140 immigrant petitions in cases where U.S Department of Labor action is already complete.
  (But note that new petitions will still be held pending further clarification of the new H-1B visa fee.)

• U.S. Department of State visa processing
  Scholars can still apply for visa stamps at U.S. consulates.

• U.S. Customs & Border Protection admissions
  Scholars can still be admitted or readmitted to the U.S., subject to guidance on our scholar travel pages.

ISO will reach out to units with affected, in-flight H visa requests within the next week. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have.