Today the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a proposed increase to filing fees for most immigration benefits.? The announcement was published in the Federal Register and will be open for public comment for the next 45 days.? The fee increases are weighted at about 10% across all form types, however, some forms have a reduction in fees or stayed essentially the same.? The filing fee for Form I-129, for example,?is set to be raised by $5, while the filing fee for Form I-140, Immigrant Visa Petition would increase by $105.? The rest of the proposed fee schedule is listed below.
In addition to the increase on filing fees for standard forms and applications, USCIS is proposing a fee increase to its premium processing service.? The premium process fee (currently set at $1000) would be increased based on the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since the 2001 inception of the premium processing program.? While the final fee will not be determined until the final rule announcing the new fee schedule is published after this notice and comment period has passed, the fee will likely increase by $225 based on current CPI data.
USCIS has justified the fee increases as being necessary to meet budgetary and funding requirements. ?Ninety percent of the USCIS operating costs are to come from collected fees.?? The additional premium processing fees have been justified as necessary to help improve technology and customer service initiatives at USCIS.
Graham Adair will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates as they become available.
The proposed fee schedule is as follows:?
| Application/Petition Description? | Current Fees? | Proposed Fees |
| I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card | $290 | $365 |
| I-102 Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document | $320 | $330 |
| I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant worker | $320 | $325 |
| I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e) | $455 | $340 |
| I-130 Petition for Alien Relative | $355 | $420 |
| I-131 Application for Travel Document | $305 | $360 |
| I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker | $475 | $580 |
| I-290B Notice of Appeal or Motion | $585 | $630 |
| I-360 Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er) or Special Immigrant | $375 | $405 |
| I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status | $930 | $985 |
| I-526 Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur | $1,435 | $1,500 |
| I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status | $300 | ?$290 |
| I-600/600A Orphan Petitions | $670 | $720 |
| I-687 Application for Status as a Temporary Resident | $710 | $1,130 |
| I-690 Application for Waiver on Grounds of Inadmissibility | $185 | $200 |
| I-694 Notice of Appeal of Decision | $545 | $755 |
| I-698 Application to Adjust Status From Temporary to Permanent Resident | $1,370 | $1,020 |
| I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence | $465 | $505 |
| I-765 Application for Employment Authorization | $340 | $380 |
| I-817 Application for Family Unity Benefits | $440 | $435 |
| I-824 Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition | $340 | $405 |
| I-829 Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions | $2,850 | $3,750 |
| Civil Surgeon Designation? | ?$0?? | $615 |
| I-924 Application for Regional Center Under the Immigrant Investor Pilot Program | ?$0 | $6,230 |
| N-300 Application to File Declaration of Intention? | $235 | $250 |
| N-336 Request for Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings | $605 | $650 |
| N-400 Application for Naturalization | $595 | $595 |
| N-470 Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes | $305 | $330 |
| N-565 Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document | $380 | $345 |
| N-600/N-600K Naturalization Certificate Applications | $460 | ?$600 |
| Waiver Forms (I-191, I-192, I-193, I-212, I-601, I-612) | $545 | $585 |
| Immigrant Visa? | $0 | $165 |
| Biometric Services | $80 | $85 |