New USCIS Fees Go Into Effect on November 23, 2010

Following up the USCIS’s June 11, 2010 announcement of their plan to increase fees, USCIS fees are increasing as of November 23, 2010.  The new fee schedule will be as follows:

Form No. Application/Petition Description Existing Fees (effective through Nov. 22, 2010 Adjusted Fees (effective beginning Nov. 23, 2010)
I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card $290 $365
I-102 Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document $320 $330
I-129/129CW Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker $320 $325
I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancé(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-191 Application for Advance Permission to Return to Unrelinquished Domicile $545 $585
I-192 Application for Advance Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant $545 $585
I-193 Application for Waiver of Passport and/or Visa $545 $585
I-212 Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the U.S. after Deportation or Removal $545 $585
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

I-800/800A

Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative/Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition $670 $720
I-601 Application for Waiver of Ground of Excludability $545 $585
I-612 Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement $545 $585
I-687 Application for Status as a Temporary Resident under Sections 245A or 210 of the Immigration and Nationality Act $710 $1,130
I-690 Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility $185 $200
I-694 Notice of Appeal of Decision under Sections 245A or 210 of the Immigration and Nationality Act $545 $755
I-698 Application to Adjust Status from Temporary to Permanent Resident (Under Section 245A of Public Law 99-603) $1,370 $1,020
I-751 Petition to Remove the Conditions of 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
I-881 Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal (Pursuant to Section 203 of Public Law 105–110) $285 $285
I-907 Request for Premium Processing Service $1,000 $1,225
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-600/600K Application for Certification of Citizenship/ Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate under Section 322 $460 $600
Immigrant $0 $165
Biometrics Capturing, Processing, and Storing Biometric Information $80 $85

USCIS Filing Fees on the Rise Again!

On August 13, 2010, President Obama signed Public Law 111-230 into law which dramatically increases H1B and L1 filing fees for certain US companies.  The new law went into effect immediately and though Form I-129 has not yet incorporated the new law into the form, all US petitioning companies must disclose whether they are subject or not.

The new law requires additional filing fees of $2,000 for H1B visa petitioner and $2,250 for L1A and L1B petitions where the US petitioning company employs 50 or more employees in the United States and more than 50 percent of its employees in the United States are in H-1B or L visa status.  Petitioners with fewer than 50 employees or those who employ primarily non H1B or L visa workers will not be affected.

However, all applicants will be affected by USCIS’s plan to raise all other filing fees.  On June 11, 2010 USCIS announced their plan to raise fees across the board an average of 10%.  This prospective fee increase is still in the public comment stage but is expected to go into effect shortly.  The agency stated that the fees needed to be increased to offset lost revenue from fewer applications being filed.  This is in sharp contrast to their previous reasoning when they raised fees in 2007 to increase staffing to adjudicate applications faster.

The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. – Unknown