USCIS Increases Fees To Meet Alleged Operational Needs

by | Aug 29, 2020 | USCIS

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees charged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), removing certain fee exemptions, changing fee waiver requirements, altering premium processing time limits, and modifying intercountry adoption processing.  DHS also proposes that this adjustment in fees is intended to ensure that USCIS has the resources it needs to provide adequate service to applicants and petitioners after a comprehensive biennial fee review revealed that current fees do not recover the full cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services.  

DHS also announced that the  proposed adjustment accounts for increased costs to adjudicate immigration benefit requests, detect and deter immigration fraud, and thoroughly vet applicants, petitioners and beneficiaries. 

Effective On October 2, 2020

USCIS has announced that the final rule, regarding the proposed adjustment in fees, will become effective on October 2, 2020.  Therefore, any application, petition, or request postmarked on or after this date must include payment of the new, correct fees established by this final rule.

New Immigration Request Fees

It is important to consider if an applicant, petitioner, or requestor must file  additional forms, as a result of policy changes in this rule, then the individual changes to a single fee may not represent the total change in fees for every circumstance.

The following Table summarizes the final fees excluding fees established and required by statute and those that DHS cannot adjust.  The Table further calculates the change in the current fee.

Non-Statutory Immigration Benefit Request Fees Table by Application
Immigration Benefit Request
Current Fee
New Fee
Change ($)
Change (%)
I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (online) $ 455 $450 -$ 50 -11 %
I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (paper) $ 455 $ 415 -$ 40 -9 %
I-102 Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document $ 445 $ 485 $ 40 9 %
I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker $ 460
I-129CW, I-129E&TN, and I-129MISC $ 460 $ 695 $ 235 51 %
I-129H1 $ 460 $ 555 $ 95 21 %
I-129H2A – Named Beneficiaries $ 460 $ 850 $ 390 85 %
I-129H2B – Named Beneficiaries $ 460 $ 385 -$ 75 -16 %
I-129L $ 460 $ 805 $ 345 75 %
I-129O $ 460 $ 705 $ 245 53 %
I-129H2A – Unamed Beneficiaries $ 460 $ 415 -$ 45 -10 %
I-129H2B – Unamed Beneficiaries $ 460 $ 385 -$ 75 -16 %
I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) $ 460 $ 385 -$ 75 -16 %
I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (online) $ 535 $ 510 -$ 25 -5 %
I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (paper) $ 535 $ 550 $ 15 3 %
I-131 Application for Travel Document $ 535 $ 560 $ 25 5 %
I-131 Refugee Travel Document for an Individual age 16 or older $ 575 $ 590 $ 15 3 %
I-131 Refugee Travel Document for a Child Under the Age of 16 $ 135 $ 145 $ 10 7 %
I-131A Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation) $ 105 $ 115 $ 10 10 %
I-140 Immigration Petition for Alien Worker $ 575 $ 1,070 $ 435 76 %
I-191 Application for Relief Under Former Section 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act $ 700 $ 555 -$ 145 -21 %
I-192 Application for Advanced Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant (CBP) $ 930 $ 790 -$ 140 -15 %
I-192 Application for Advanced Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant (USCIS) $ 585 $ 1,400 $ 815 139 %
I-193 Application for Waiver of Passport and/or Visa $ 930 $ 1,400 $ 470 51 %
I-212 Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the U.S. After Deportation or Removal $ 585 $ 2,790 $ 2,205 377 %
I-290B Notice of Appeal or Motion $ 930 $ 1,050 $ 120 13 %
I-360 Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant $ 675 $ 700 $ 25 4 %
I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status $ 435 $ 450 $ 15 3 %
I-526 Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor $ 1,140 $ 1,130 -$ 10 -1 %

 

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