Potential USCIS Fee Increases are likely on the Horizons

USCIS Affidavit of Support Policy & Practice Changes may be coming

October 12, 2020
By:  Coleman Jackson, Attorney

Potential USCIS Fee Increases are likely on the Horizons:

USCIS FILING FEES WERE SET TO INCREASE ON OCTOBER 2, 2020.  Judge Jeffrey White of the United States District Court in the Northern District of California temporarily blocked the USCIS scheduled fee increases from taking place nationwide on September 30, 2020. The fees were set to increase by up to 60% on some immigration petitions. All who think they might want to file immigration petitions and applications for family members or employees should consider acting at once because temporary injunctions by courts do not necessarily mean that the USCIS will not prevail in the end; and if so, the analysis of the fee increases below(for a select group of type of petitions) could be the potential USCIS fee increases scheduled below could be  required to file the following immigration petitions and applications:

Form Number	Form Title	Current Fee	Potential New Fee
I-130	Petition for Alien Relative	$535	$560
I-485	Application to Register Permanent Residence	$1,140	$1,130*
I-864	Affidavit of Support	$0	$0
I-765	Application for Employment Authorization	$410	$550
I-131/I-131A	Application for Travel Document	$575	$590
Biometrics	Biometrics fee	$85	$85
I-90	Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Paper Filing)	$455	$415
I-102	Application for Replacement/ Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure	$445	$485
I-129/129CW	Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker	$460	$695
I-129F	Petition for Alien Fiancé	$535	$510
I-140	Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker	$700	$555
I-212	Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the U.S. after Deportation or Removal	$930	$1,050
I-360	Petition for Amerasian Widow(er) or Special Immigrant	$435	$1,130
I-526	Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur	$3,675	$4,010
I-539	Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status	$370	$390
I-600/600a	Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative/Application for Advance Petition Processing of Orphan Petition	$775	$805
I-800/800A	Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative/ Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from Convention Country	$775	$805
I-601	Application for Waiver of Ground of Excludability	$930	$1,010
I-601A	Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver	$630	$960
I-690	Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility	$715	$765
I-694	Notice of Appeal of Decision	$890	$715
I-698	Application to Adjust Status from Temporary to Permanent Resident (Under Section 254A of the INA)	$1,670	$1,615
I-751	Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence	$595	$760
I-824	Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition	$465	$495
I-829	Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions	$3,750	$3,900
I-924	Application for Regional Center Designation Under the Immigrant Investor Program	$17,795	$17,795
I-924A	Annual Certification of Regional Center	$3,035	$4,465
I-929	Petition for Qualifying Family Member of a U-1 Non-immigrant	$230	$1,485
N-336	Request for Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings	$700	$1,735
N-400	Application for Naturalization	$640	$1,160
N-470	Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalizing Purposes	$355	$1,585
N-565	Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Documents	$555	$535
N-600	Application for Certification of Citizenship/Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate under INA Section 322	$1,170	$1,00

* Biometric Fee is included in the I-485 application

 

USCIS Affidavit of Support Policy & Practice Changes may be Coming:

DHS has also proposed a new rule regarding the Affidavit of Support Process. This update requires U.S. Citizen sponsors, nationals, or lawful permanent residents who sponsor an immigrant to provide credit reports and credit scores, certified copies of income tax returns for the last three years, and bank account information to effectively demonstrate they can maintain the required income.

Petitioning sponsors that have received public benefits within the last 26 months of submitting a Form I-864 must be backed by a joint sponsor who has received no such public benefits during that time.

Follow our law firm’s blogs and listen to our Legal Thoughts Podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify or where ever you listen to your podcast for updates concerning these topics and other taxation, litigation and immigration information you can use!

This law blog is written by the Taxation | Litigation | Immigration Law Firmof Coleman Jackson, P.C. for educational purposes; it does not create an attorney-client relationship between this law firm and its reader.  You should consult with legal counsel in your geographical area with respect to any legal issues impacting you, your family or business.

Coleman Jackson, P.C. | Taxation, Litigation, Immigration Law Firm | English (214) 599-0431 | Spanish (214) 599-0432 | Portuguese (214) 272-3100