New visa and immigration fee schedule proposed

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is proposing a new fee schedule for visa and other immigration-related applications and petitions.

According to the agency, it is adjusting its fees because “the current fee schedule does not adequately recover the full costs of services provided by USCIS.”

The proposed fee schedule has not been released, but is expected to be published this month and then open to a public comment period until June. By statute, the agency may review fees biennially and recommend revising them to better reflect government costs in providing services.

BAL Analysis: Employers and individuals should expect increases in government processing fees for immigration-related applications, including nonimmigrant petitions and visa applications.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact BerryApplemanLeiden@bal.com.

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