USCIS to increase immigration fees

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the following announced in the RFederal Register that as of December 23, 2016, the following new regulations are in force new tariff scale for immigration procedures.

Applications and petitions with stamps of that date or filed after December 23, 2016 must include the new fee, otherwise they will be rejected.

The new scale increases rates by about 21%.

According to USCIS, the adjustment to the fee schedule is necessary in order to cover all costs and provide adequate service to the public. The last time USCIS increased its fees was in 2010.

USCIS will continue to offer fee waivers for certain applications or petitions. You can read more about how to apply for a fee waiver by clicking here.

As I reported earlier, some of the increases are quite large. The cost to obtain an application for a certificate of citizenship, for example, would go up from $$600 to $$1,170 - an increase of 95%. And an application to enter the United States after having been deported would increase by 59% - from $$585 to $$930.

Depending on the benefit being sought, the cost of the applications will either increase, remain the same, or in some cases be lower.

 Some of the rate changes:

* naturalization application - from $595 to $640 (an increase of 8%)

* application for naturalization for persons who earn between 151% and 200% of the poverty level - from $595 to $320 (a 46% rebate). For 2016, this means, for example, that a four-person household with an income between $36,000 to $48,000 per year can pay the reduced rate. Eligible individuals may apply for this option using Form I-942, Application for Rate Reduction.

* application to replace permanent resident card (green card) - from $365 to $455 (an increase from 25%)

* nonimmigrant worker petition - from $325 to $460 (an increase from 42%)

* petition for foreign fiancé or fiancée - from $340 to $535 (an increase from 57%)

* request of foreign relative - from $420 to $535 (an increase from 27%)

* travel document application - from $360 to $575 (an increase from 60%)

* foreign migrant worker petition - from $580 to $700 (an increase from 21%)

* application for advance permission for entry as a non-immigrant - from $585 to $930 (an increase from 59%)

* application for entry into the United States after having been deported or removed - from $585 to $930 (an increase from 59%)

* notice of appeal or motion - from $630 to $675 (an increase from 7%)

* application for registration of permanent residence or adjustment of status - from $985 to $1,140 (an increase from 16%)

* immigrant petition per foreign entrepreneur - from $1,500 to $3,675 (an increase of 145%)

* application for extension or change of non-immigrant status - from $290 to $370 (an increase from 28%)

* application for waiver of inadmissibility grounds - from $585 to $930 (an increase from 59%)

* unlawful presence exemption request - from $585 to $630 (an increase of 8%)

* request to cancel conditions at the residence - from $505 to $595 (an increase of 18%)

* application for employment authorization - from $380 to $410 (an increase from 8%)

* request for action on an approved application or petition - from $405 to $465 (an increase from 15%)

* petition for a qualifying relative of a U-1 non-immigrant - from $215 to $230 (an increase from 7%)

* application for hearing on decision in naturalization proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act - from $650 to $700 (an increase of 8%)

* application for replacement naturalization/citizenship document - from $345 to $555 (an increase from 61%)

* application for citizenship certificate - from $600 to $1,170 (an increase from 95%)

* USCIS immigrant fee - from $165 to $220 (an increase of 33%)

You can find the complete list by clicking click here.