U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Filing Fees Increased – Effective December 23, 2016

Effective December 23, 2016, the filing fees for many USCIS petitions and applications increased by an average of 21 percent. Applications or petitions mailed, postmarked, or otherwise filed on or after December 23, 2016 must include the new fees.

While the fees for some petitions remain the same, others have increased significantly. A full list of the new fees is available on the USCIS website, but here are a few highlights:

• The fee for an Application for Certificate of Citizenship (N-600) increased from $600 to $1,170.
• The fee for the Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document (N-565) increased from $345 to $555.
• The fee for the Application for Employment Authorization (I-765) increased from $380 to $410.
• The fee for the Application for Travel Document (I-131) increased from $360 to $575.
• The fee for the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (I-129) increased from $325 to $460.
• The fee for the Petition for Alien Fiancé (e) (I-129F) increased from $340 to $535
• The fee for the Petition for Alien Relative (I-130) increased from $420 to $535.
• The fee for the Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility (I-601) increased from $585 to $930.

This is the first fee increase since 2010 when USCIS increased fees by 10 percent. In 2007, the agency had increased fees by 66 percent.

While fees are increasing, so are processing times. We hope these new fees bring about a real commitment to improved processing times and better customer service.

This alert is for informational purposes. If you have questions regarding the fee increases or any other immigration matter, please contact our attorneys at the Law Offices of Azita M. Mojarad, P.C., at (312) 641-0771. Our immigration attorneys will be happy to answer your question or schedule you for a consultation.