New filing fees for petitions and applications filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services take effect Dec. 23.
Key points:
- Petitions filed or postmarked on or after Dec. 23 must include the new fees or will be rejected and returned.
- The fees will increase by a weighted average of 21 percent.
Some of the new fees for employment-related petitions and applications are listed below:
| Type of Benefit (Form Number) | Current Fee | New Fee | Increase |
| Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (I-140) | $580 | $700 | 21% |
| Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (I-485) | $985 | $1,140 | 16% |
| Application for Employment Authorization (I-765) | $380 | $410 | 8% |
| Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (I-539) | $290 | $370 | 28% |
| Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (I-90) | $365 | $455 | 25% |
| Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (I-129) | $325 | $460 | 41% |
| Petition for Alien Relative (I-130) | $420 | $535 | 27% |
| Application for Travel Document (I-131) | $360 | $575 | 60% |
| Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur (I-526) | $1,500 | $3,675 | 145% |
| Notice of Appeal of Decision | $755 | $890 | 18% |
| Application for Naturalization | $595 | $640 | 8% |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | $165 | $220 | 33% |
BAL Analysis: Employers and affected foreign nationals should budget for the new fees and make sure that filings postmarked or submitted on and after Dec. 23 include the appropriate filing fees.
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact BerryApplemanLeiden@bal.com.
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