USCIS Announces Fee Increases Effective April 1st, 2024

In its first comprehensive increase since 2016, USCIS announced publication of its final rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization fees on January 30^th. USCIS states these increases are necessary to “recover a greater share of its operating costs and support more timely processing of new applications”[i] and also support expansion of humanitarian programs. Additional stated benefits include:

• Lowering the agency’s required annual cost recovery by $727 million, in part by considering the budget effects of improved efficiency measures;
• Expanding fee exemptions for Special Immigrant Juveniles and victims of human trafficking, crime, and domestic violence; U.S. military service members and our Afghan allies; and families pursuing international adoption;
• Providing special fee discounts for nonprofit organizations and small business employers (those with less than 25 full-time employees);
• Allowing for half-price Employment Authorization Document applications for applicants for adjustment of status and a reduced fee for adjustment of status applicants under the age of 14 in certain situations;
• Expanding eligibility for a 50% fee reduction for naturalization applications, available to individuals who can demonstrate household income between 150% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; and
• Implementing a standard $50 discount for online filers.

 

The news fees coincide with soon to be released updated editions of Forms I-129 and I-140, among others, and will go into effect on April 1^st. Below, please find a detailed chart comparing fee changes for the most common employment-based cases.

 

Case Type	Previous Fee	New Fee as of April 1st, 2024
H-1B Registration Fee[ii]	$10	$215
Form I-129 and I-140 Asylum Program Fee	N/A	$600
Form I-129 and I-140 Asylum Program Fee (Small Employers)	N/A	$300
Form I-129 and I-140 Asylum Program Fee (Non-profits)	N/A	$0
Form I-129 H-1B and H-1B1	$460	$780
Form I-129 L	$460	$1,385
Form I-129 L (Small Employers and Non-profits)	$460	$695
Form I-129 O	$460	$1,055
Form I-129 O (Small Employers and Non-profits)	$460	$530
Form I-129 E-1, E-2, E-3, TN	$460	$1,015
Form I-129 E-1, E-2, E-3, TN (Small Employers and Non-profits)	$460	$510
Form I-539 (Online)	$370	$420
Form I-539 (Paper)	$370	$470
Form I-140	$700	$715
Form I-526 and I-526E	$3,675	$11,160
Form I-485[iii]	$1,140	$1,440
Form I-485 (under 14 applying w/ parent)	$750	$950
Form I-765 (Online)	$410	$470
Form I-765 (Paper)	$410	$520
Form I-131	$575	$630
Form N-400 (Online)	$640	$710
Form N-400 (Paper)	$640	$760

 

Notable changes include the newly created Asylum Program Fee, which will be required for I-129 and I-140 filings, and the absorption of biometrics services fees for filings which typically require this additional step.

Further, this rule will convert premium processing timeframes from calendar days to business days, which has the potential to increase processing time by roughly one week or more. Previous updates to premium processing fees, published in a final rule on December 28, 2023, go into effect on February 26^th.[iv]

We will continue to provide updates on these changes as they arrive. Please reach out to us should you have further questions.

 

[i] https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-issues-final-rule-to-adjust-certain-immigration-and-naturalization-fees.

[ii] Will not take effect until March 2025.

[iii] USCIS has unbundled I-485 filing fees, meaning separate fees for I-765 and I-131 applications will be required. However, I-765 filing fees will be discounted 50% if concurrently filed with an I-485.

[iv] https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-inflation-adjustment-to-premium-processing-fees. Forms I-129 and I-140 increase from $2,500 to $2,805, Form I-539 from $1,750 to $1,965, and Form I-765 from $1,500 to $1,684.