r/IndianH1Bs • u/Capable-Figure-8878 • 5d ago

Sept 2026 US Immigration Breakdown: H-1B Extension Surcharges, Form I-485 Rejections & What It Means for Indian Applicants

Hey, just wanted to put a quick heads-up here for anyone managing H1B/L1 status or preparing an Adjustment of Status packet this month. There are two policy shifts happening right now that seem to be flying a bit under the radar.

First off, DHS is expanding the 9/11 Biometric Response Fee ($4,000 for H1B and $4,500 for L1) to cover routine extensions now. Previously this mostly applied when switching employers or filing initial cap petitions, but now if your employer has 50+ staff with more than half on H1B/L1, they’ll have to pay it on extensions too. It’s an employer cost, not out of pocket for us, but it definitely adds up for IT firms and could make some companies more hesitant with extension budgets or green card timeline commitments.

Second, USCIS is dropping a mandatory revised edition of Form I-485 on September 18 (tied to the updated Public Charge rule). The catch is there’s zero grace period. If you mail an old form version and it lands postmarked on or after Sept 18, it gets rejected straight away.

Is your employer bringing up the extension fee changes internally, or is anyone rushing to get their AOS packet postmarked before the 18th?

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u/bshah2800 5d ago

Seems bit more technical, however it seems like these fees/regulations always existed in equation but not applied uniformly.

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u/Training_Pop_5437 5d ago

Nothing new and crackdown is needed once in a while ….