USCIS Proposes to Increase Immigration and Visa Application Fees

Question:

Is it true that USCIS will increase immigration and visa application fees very soon?

Answer:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a proposed rule to increase filing fees for most types of applications and petitions. It would also add a number of new fees and change certain other immigration benefit request requirements.

The Department of Homeland Security will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register to adjust the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration Examinations Fee Account fee schedule. Unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee-funded. Federal law requires USCIS to conduct biennial fee reviews and recommend necessary fee adjustments to ensure recovery of the full cost of administering the nation’s immigration laws, adjudicating applications and petitions, and providing the necessary infrastructure to support those activities.

The rule proposes adjusting USCIS fee schedules by a weighted average increase of 21% to ensure full cost recovery. Current fees would leave the agency underfunded by approximately $1.3 billion per year. The proposed fee rule accounts for increased costs to adjudicate immigration benefit requests, detect and deter immigration fraud, and thoroughly vet applicants, petitioners, and beneficiaries.

USCIS last updated its fee structure in FY 2017, by a weighted average increase of 21%.