On January 31, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Final Rule to adjust fees for certain immigration and naturalization benefit applications, effective April 1, 2024. USCIS also published a Frequently Asked Questions page for the new Fee Rule, which includes a summary of the rule and a full New Fee Schedule Table.
These latest fee adjustments are in addition to the adjustments made to premium processing fees due to inflation which USCIS had published as a final rule on December 28, 2023 and become effective on February 26, 2024. Since USCIS is mostly funded by the application fees, USCIS periodically reviews its fee rates. The current fee rule has been in effect since December 2016, so it had been seven years since the fees were last adjusted.
In addition to updates in the USCIS application fees, there will be updated versions of the application forms for each filing type that will be released in the same timeline. USCIS will use the postmark date of a filing to determine which form version and fees are correct.
The fee updates for some of the most common USCIS forms that affect our international population are below:
| USCIS Form | Current Fee | New Fee | Increase | Payment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-129 | For H-1B | $460 | No change | 0% | Required |
| For E-3/TN | $460 | $510 | 11% | ||
| For O-1 | $460 | $530 | 15% | ||
| I-140 | Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker | $700 | $715 | 2% | |
| I-539 | Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status | $370 (Online filing) | $420 (Online filing) | 14% | |
| $370 (Paper filing) | $470 (Paper filing) | 27% | |||
| I-765 | Application for Employment Authorization | $410 (Online filing) | $470 (Online filing) | 15% | |
| $410 (Paper filing) | $520 (Paper filing) | 27% | |||
| I-907 | Premium Processing for Form I-129 (H-1B/E-3/O-1/TN) | $2,500 | $2,805 | 12% | Optional |
| Premium Processing for Form I-539 | $1,750 | $1,965 | 12% | ||
| Premium Processing for Form I-765 | $1,500 | $1,685 | 12% | ||
Update to Premium Processing Time as of April 1, 2024
- In addition to the fee increase for premium processing, which became effective as of February 26th, USCIS has also changed its premium processing time from calendar days (which include every day of the week) to business days (which only include Monday to Friday, excluding federal holidays).
- The premium processing time for Form I-129 (H-1B/E-3/TN/O-1) has changed from 15 calendar days to 15 business days. The premium processing time for Form I-539 and Form I-765 (e.g., for F-1 OPT or STEM OPT) has changed from 30 calendar days to 30 business days.
- Please note that premium processing is an optional service to expedite the government processing time. It is not a required fee. If you have questions whether premium processing is needed for your application, please contact your designated OISS adviser.
- USPS mail delivery time of approval notices and/or EAD cards are not included in any USCIS processing time.
When filing an application with USCIS, it is important to check the filing instructions on the USCIS website for the form type you are filing. You should make sure that you are paying the correct application fee(s), and if you are filing a paper application you should use the correct version of the application form and the correct mailing address.
Some Check (Remit to Connection) Locations Have Changed
Some of the addresses checks should be remitted to have been updated. Please check the Application Fees Form for the most up-to-date address, and confirm that the address is accurate when submitting a check request.
Questions
If you have any questions about the USCIS fee increases, please contact your designated OISS adviser.
