Increase in Immigration Fees

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced significant adjustments to immigration and naturalization benefit request fees, affecting a variety of processes from green card petitions to fiancé visas and naturalization. These adjustments, the first since 2016, will take effect as of April 1, 2024.

The changes encompass a wide range of forms and request categories. For instance, Form I-130, used for family reunification including marriage-based green cards, will see its fee increased to $675 for paper processing and $625 for online processing. Similarly, Form I-129F, intended for foreign fiancés intending to join their partners in the U.S., will have its fee raised from $535 to $675.

Furthermore, Form I-485, essential for Green Card application, will have its fee increased from $1,225 to $1,440. It is important to note that fees for employment authorization (EAD) and travel (advanced parole) requests, previously included in the Adjustment of Status process (I-485), will now cost $650 and $520 respectively.

Forms related to employment-based and entrepreneurship-based requests will also undergo adjustments. For example, the fee for Form I-140 will increase from $700 to $715, while the EB-5 investor visa (Form I-526/526E) will undergo a significant hike, rising from $3,675 to $11,160.

Additionally, USCIS will implement a new $600 Asylum Program Fee for I-129 and I-140 petitions, with a reduced fee of $300 for small employers and exemption for non-profit organizations.

Other changes include fee adjustments for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. For instance, the fee for online filing will increase from $640 to $710, while the fee for paper filing will rise from $640 to $760.

USCIS will also implement a fee of $1,440 for most adjustment of status applications, with a reduced fee of $950 for applicants under 14 years old applying concurrently with one of their parents.

Furthermore, USCIS has adjusted Premium Processing fees, which will now cost $2,805, with the processing timeframe extended to 15 business days.

These fee adjustments aim to enhance USCIS operational funding and facilitate more efficient processing of requests. The changes also reflect adaptations in premium processing, now calculated in business days, and the introduction of discounts for non-governmental organizations and small businesses.