USCIS is raising the cost of some visa application. Unlike other federal agencies, USCIS is funded almost entirely by the fees it charges for various immigration processes. USCIS is changing their fee system for the first time since 2016. It goes into effect in April. Employers applying for H-1B visas, for jobs like those in tech, will pay $780 — up from the current fee of $460. Applications for agricultural work permits — also currently set at $460 — will now cost $1,090. The agency says the increases are necessary to address financial issues and ever-growing processing backlogs — fueled in part by visa restrictions under the Trump administration and pandemic-era shutdowns.