Increased USCIS Filing Fees Go Into Effect on April 1, 2024

USCIS will increase filing fees effective April 1, 2024.  The agency has not raised its filing fees in over seven years, and took a year to review the 5,400 comments it received after it first announced fee increases in January 2023.  Despite the major increases for certain filings, USCIS will provide special fee discounts for qualified nonprofit organizations and small business employers. Through these fee increases, USCIS intends to hire more officers to help reduce the case processing backlog and improve operational efficiency.

See below for a table comparison of the old and new fees for select petitions. A comprehensive table detailing the filing fee change for all filing types can be found here.

*A small employer is defined as a company with less than 26 full-time employees. 

Any petition or application postmarked on or after April 1, 2024 must be accompanied by the new filing fees established by this final rule.  USCIS will return any petitions or applications filed with the incorrect fees. 

As a reminder, the fees for premium processing service also will increase effective February 26, 2024.  The fees will go up by 11%. 

If you would like to discuss this development or any other immigration matter further, please don’t hesitate to contact me.