If one has H1B1 offer letter from US employer then who has to borne visa filling fee and attorney fee?

Question

After getting offer letter from US employer, who bornes H1b1 visa fee, attorney fee and other fees involved? The employer or the employee?

Answer 1

An offer letter means nothing. The employer must file the H1B petition and pay the fees. Here is more information:
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1275.html
and here:
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1271.html

If your prospective employer is telling you that you need to pay filing fees, you are being ripped off by a body shopper. Don't deal with him - he's a crook, and you probably will not get a visa in the end, just a lot of wasted money.

Answer 2

it is a scam. While an employer can ask for an employee to pay for certain parts of the H1B fees (usually they do this only if the employee stays for less than a year or some agreed upon time) it is typical that the employer pays for the whole amount. But I am pretty sure that the fees come nowhere near to $20 000, maybe more in the order of $5000. If they have to pay a lawyer it can be of course be more. I would stay away from this agent. Also where is your guarantee you get the job without having an interview with your employer? How would the employer pick you over anybody else if they haven't had any contact with you? They wouldn't do that.

Answer 3

Hi,

In case of B1, the company which is offering you the visa will bare the visa filing and attorney fees. Incase of H1, most of the reputed companies, and if you are applying through a bodyshopping company, they bare the visa filing and attorney fees. But the trend if changing litte bit. Now a days, few companies ask you to pay the H1 visa filing and attorney charges, and after your visa is approved and you started working with them for a specified, they are returning you the visa filing and attorney charges back. They do this as they are not trusting the prospects in the begining and they use this as a method to make you stay with them for a specific period.

Hope, I gave you some useful info.

Thanks

Answer 4

There are certain fees that the employer must pay (ie. $500 Fraud Prevention Fee) and others that the employee must pay (ie. $190 application fee). As for the lawyer fees, most of the time the employer would pay them. If they are requesting you to pay, I'd look into another employer.

Answer 5

Hi,
Nowadays employers are ready to pay for the visa and other charges.
You tell them strictly that you will not be able to take up the job if they don't provide you the fees.

Answer 6

Actually it has to borne by the company but sometimes they take it for granted.You can talk to the concerned embassy in the country and make the issue resolved.