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The new USCIS fees

October 1, 2020 – The USCIS fees increase has been stopped for now.

The US government published a schedule of new fees for many immigration documents. The new fees were due to start on October 2. The USCIS fees increase would affect many immigrants, including citizenship applicants, green card holders, asylum seekers, students and workers. But a US district court has stopped the government from using the new fees for now. USCIS has issued a statement in response. We will update our information as soon as we know more.

Apply soon!

The new immigration fees were due to start on October 2, 2020. They may not start because of the court ruling, but if you are applying for citizenship or a work permit, apply now anyway. It may still take a long time to process your document.

Learn about the USCIS fees increase

You can see a table of all the new USCIS fees on the website of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Here are are some of them:

N-400 Application for Naturalization
The fee until October 2 is $640. The new fee will be $1,170 ($1,160 if you apply online).

I-765 Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
The fee until October 2 is $410. The new fee will be $550, except for DACA applicants. There is no increase for in EAD fees for DACA. The increase will apply to TPS holders, people waiting for adjustment of status, asylum seekers, and refugees.

I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
The fee until October 2 is $460. The new USCIS fees will be between $555 and $805, depending on the type of work. Workers use this petition when they come to the USA to work for a set period of time.

I-131 Application for Travel Document and Refugee Travel Document
There is only a small change in fees for these documents. For the Application for Travel Documents for non-refugees, the fee until October 2 is $575. The new fee will be $590. For Refugee Travel Documents the fee until October 2 will be $135. The new fee will be $145.

I-130 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
The fee until October 2 is $535. The new fee will be $560 ($550 if you apply online).

A new fee to apply for asylum

Until October 2, there is no fee for asylum applications. But from October 2, 2020, asylum seekers will have to pay $50 to apply for asylum (Form I-589, the Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal). Please get professional legal advice before you apply for asylum.

Biometric services will cost less

If you need to pay for biometric services for your application for citizenship or permanent residency, the USCIS fees will go down from $85 to $30. But for DACA recipients, the fee will stay at $85.

Many fee waivers will be stopped

People who show they cannot afford to pay certain fees have been given fee waivers, which means they do not have to pay the fee. Many of these fee waivers are being stopped after October 2, 2020. If you apply for naturalization, adjustment of status, green card replacement/renewals, or employment authorization, you will no longer be able to ask for a fee waiver.

Some forms are changing, too

Some of the applications forms are changing. From now until October 2, you can use new or old forms before then. Starting October 2, you must use the new form if you are applying for the following:

  • I-765 Application for Employment Authorization
  • I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
  • I-600/I-600A, Supplement 3, Request for Action on Approved Form I-600/I-600A
  • I-912, Request for a Fee Waiver

You can find forms online and the latest information about filing fees.