On April 10, 2024, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) sent out this stakeholder message:
On April 1, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) new fees and editions of certain forms went into effect. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman)—which is not part of USCIS—is sending this reminder to use the correct form edition and pay the correct fee amounts to avoid USCIS rejecting your form.
If you file your form online (if available), you could save up to $50 in filing fees.
What to Check For
Before you file, please ensure you know the answers to the following two questions:
1. How much does it cost to apply?
Go to USCIS’ Fee Schedule page to check what fee(s) you need to pay. Many fees have increased, some fees have decreased, and some have new fees. Other forms have new fee exemptions.
A few examples of what changed on April 1 are:
- Some popular forms will have lower fees starting on April 1 if you file online and must submit biometrics, such as:
- Form N-400, Application for Naturalization; and
- Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) (the fees will be lower whether you must submit biometrics or not).
- If you are filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status and want to apply for a travel document (Form I-131, Application for Travel Document) and/or employment authorization (Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization), you will have to pay a separate filing fee for each form even if you file all three forms together.
- You must submit a separate payment for each fee. See the USCIS Filing Fees page for further instruction on how to pay fees.
- If you are an employer filing a Form I-129 or Form I-140, the form fee itself may not represent your total filing costs. Check for additional fees. For example, the new Asylum Program Fee will cost an additional $600 for employers or $300 for companies with 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees. There is no Asylum Program Fee for nonprofits.
You can also go to USCIS’ Fee Calculator to see what fees you must pay.
2. Do I need to use a new edition of the form?
As of April 1, USCIS will accept only the 04/01/24 edition of the five forms listed below. There is no grace period, and USCIS will reject your form if you file an old edition of the form.
- Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
- Form I-129CW, Petition for a CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker
- Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers
- Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition (and Supplements 1, 2, and 3)
- Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative (and Supplements 1, 2, and 3)
For most other forms, USCIS will accept both previous and new editions filed with the correct fee during a grace period from April 1 to June 3, 2024.
Remember, USCIS uses the postmark date to determine your filing date and the applicable fee and form edition. If you are using a courier service (such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.), see the CIS Ombudsman’s Treat the Date You Print Your Shipping Label as Your Postmark Date stakeholder message for more information. Please note that USCIS uses the receipt date for the purposes of any regulatory or statutory filing deadlines.
Why This Matters
- This is the first fee increase for many USCIS forms in over seven years.
- Having your form rejected could impact your immigration status. In some situations, you will not be able to refile, which could affect whether you can remain or work legally in the United States.
- If USCIS rejects your form and you have documented proof that you submitted the correct edition of the form on time with the correct fees, you can try to resolve the issue with USCIS. Go to the “Inquiries Based on Filing Location” section of USCIS’ Contact Us page for information.
- If you still cannot resolve the issue, you may submit a case assistance request to our office to see if we can help. Make sure to include copies of the rejection notice and the submitted form with the shipping label and delivery confirmation.
More Information
For more information, please refer to USCIS’ January 30, 2024, news release and its Filing Fees and FAQs on the USCIS Fee Rule pages. You can also refer to USCIS’ February 22, 2024, webinar presentation.