On April 1, 2024, USCIS increased their filing fees for most applications. USCIS receives approximately 96% of their funding from filing fees, not congressional appropriations, and according to USCIS the fee schedule from 2016 was no longer covering USCIS’s operational costs.

Beginning April 1, 2024, the new fee schedule from USCIS will apply, so applications filed using the old fee amounts will be rejected and returned to the applicant. For most applications, the fees have increased by about 15% to 30% of the previous filing fee. For example, the new filing fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status is now $1,440.00. Previously, the fee for this application was $1,140. Additionally, for green card applicants in the United States, there are separate filing fees for work authorization and for advance parole.

Despite the fees for most applications increasing, some applications have seen no change, or even a fee decrease. To apply for naturalization with USCIS, the fee has dropped from $725.00 to $710.00. Also, some humanitarian-based applications now no longer require a fee at all. A green card application based on the Violence Against Women Act, for example, now is free to file whereas before the filing fee was the same as a typical adjustment application.

If you have questions about how USCIS’s fee schedule change may affect you and your immigration applications, do not hesitate to speak with an experienced immigration attorney who keeps up with recent USCIS policy changes. If you need an immigration consultation, you can call The Modi Law Firm, PLLC office at 832-422-7789.

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