O-1 Legal and Filing Fees

When you sponsor an employee for O-1 status, you are responsible for understanding and planning for the associated legal and government costs.

Unlike the H-1B category, O-1 regulations allow certain costs to be paid by either the department or the employee. Departments should determine in advance how these costs will be handled.

Legal Fees

All O-1 cases are prepared by the SUNY-approved immigration law firm.

• $4,095 — Legal fee for O-1 petition preparation

This fee may be paid by the department, the employee, or shared, depending on departmental policy.

USCIS Filing Fees

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires filing fees for all O-1 petitions.

The immigration law firm will submit these fees to USCIS and invoice your department. You must pay invoices within 30 days.

• $530 — Standard O-1 filing fee
• $2,965 — Premium Processing (optional)

Premium Processing:
This is an optional service. USCIS will take action within 15 business days (either a decision or a request for additional information). If USCIS does not meet this timeline, the fee is refunded.

Premium Processing can be requested at the time of filing or added later if needed.

Additional Legal Costs

If USCIS issues a Request for Evidence (RFE) or additional legal work is required, your department will be notified in advance of any additional fees.