Key Changes to the USCIS Government Filing Fees in 2024

On April 1, 2024, a new USCIS fee schedule will take effect. A table with side-by-side comparisons of all current and new fees can be found here. In summary, individual filers will see fee increases of up to 26% while employer petitioners will have to pay significantly higher fees, albeit with some discounts for small employers and nonprofits. Below are some of the most important changes: Employment-based petitions: 

• There will be an Asylum Program Fee of $600 for employers filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker or Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. Nonprofit employers will be exempt from this fee, while small employer petitioners will pay half (i.e., $300).
• The fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, will no longer be a standard fee of $460 across all classifications but instead differ by visa type and petitioner. For example:
• • H-1: $780 ($460 after discount for small employers and nonprofits)
  • L-1: $1,385 ($695 after discount for small employers and nonprofits)
  • O-1: $1,055 ($530 after discount for small employers and nonprofits)
  • E: $1,015 ($510 after discount for small employers and nonprofits)
  • TN: $1,015 ($510 after discount for small employers and nonprofits)

Small employer: a firm or individual that has 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in the U.S., including any affiliates and subsidiaries. Nonprofit: an organization organized as tax-exempt under IRC section 501(c)(3) or a governmental research organization.

• The fee for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, will only see a slight fee increase from $700 to $715 (plus the above-mentioned Asylum Program Fee).
• There will be no changes to the ACWIA and Fraud Prevention fees for certain H and L petitions.
• The timeframes for premium processing will change from calendar days to business days (in addition to the separate premium processing fee increases taking effect on February 26, 2024).
• Starting with next year’s H-1B cap season (FY 2026), the H-1B registration fee will increase to $215 (up from $10).
• The fees for EB-5 Immigrant Investor petitions by a regional center investor will increase from $3,675 to $11,160 and an I-829 petition by such an investor to remove conditions on their permanent residence status will cost $9,525 (up from $3,750).

Individual or family-based applications and petitions: 

• I-485: $1,440 ($950 for children under the age of 14 filing concurrently with a parent)
• I-765: $520 ($260 when filed with Form I-485 and for subsequent renewals while the I-485 is pending)
• I-131: $630 (no discount)
• There will be a $50 discount for applications filed online (e.g., I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, I-539 Application to Extend/Change Status, I-765 Application for Employment Authorization, N-400 Application for Naturalization, N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship, etc.).
• The currently separate biometrics fee of $85 will be eliminated and the costs will be incorporated into the main benefit fee for most cases. For those cases that still require a separate biometrics fee, it will be reduced to $30.

Naturalization and Citizenship applications:  

• The paper filing fee for an N-400 Application for Naturalization will increase from $640 to $760, but applicants with a household income at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, will only pay half ($380).

The new fee schedule also codifies existing policies regarding fee waiver eligibility for low-income and otherwise vulnerable individuals and expands fee exemptions for trafficking and crime victims, VAWA applicants, Special Immigrant Juveniles, certain adoption-related requests, current and former U.S. armed forces service members, parolees, refugees, and others.