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Fact Sheet: Immigration Fee Increases and Fee Waiver Change (Current as of October 6, 2020)
Posted on Oct 06 2020
(Current as of October 6, 2020) This information is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney for advice about your situation.
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IMPORTANT: On September 29, 2020, a federal court ordered USCIS not to change their fees while a case challenging fee increases is being decided. Fees will remain the same while that court order is in effect.
What are the current fees and what are the new fees?
USCIS plans to increase fees for many applications, unless courts continue to stop them. The most common applications for which the fees are increasing are:
| Current Fee (per court order) | New Fee (unknown when may take effect) | Percentage Increase | |
| Citizenship (N-400) | $320/$640 | $1,160 (online)/ $1,170 (paper) | 266%/81%/83% |
| Lawful permanent residence (I-485) | $1,225 | $2,195 ($1130 for application + additional fees for work and travel documents) | |
| Asylum (I-589) | No fee | $50 | N/A |
| Employment authorization (I-765) | $410 | $550 | 34% |
| Application for someone who obtained lawful permanent residence through a U visa (victim of crime) to sponsor a family member (I-929) | $230 | $1,485 | 546% |
| Waiver of unlawful presence needed for many applicants for lawful permanent residence (I-601A) | $630 | $960 | 52% |
The fee for asylum applicants would be the first in our nation’s history. Only three other countries in the world charge a fee to apply for asylum.
The fees were set to increase on October 2, 2020 but a court has temporarily stopped these changes. The list above is a partial list of some of the most common applications. There are many other proposed changes as well.
What kind of fee waivers are available now and what are the proposed changes?
Fee waivers allow low-income immigrants to submit applications without paying fees. Right now, fee waivers are available for some immigration applications, including:
- Citizenship
- Lawful permanent residence (initial application for a green card) for some groups of immigrants
- Self-petitions (protection for some victims of domestic violence)
- U visas (visas for some victims of violent crimes)
- T visas (visas for victims of trafficking)
- Employment authorization (except for DACA recipients)
USCIS was set to eliminate fee waivers for most applications on October 2, 2020, but a court has temporarily stopped this change. If the change goes into effect, fee waivers will only be available for immigrants who are submitting self-petitions or applications related to VAWA, U visas, T visas, Temporary Protected Status (protection for immigrants from certain countries that are in crisis) or Special Immigrant Juvenile Status who are in foster care.
What Can You Do?
Consult a qualified immigration attorney if you wish to file an application for citizenship, lawful permanent residence, or other immigration protections before the fee waiver process changes and/or fees increase. It is very important that you speak to a qualified immigration attorney before you submit any application to USCIS. A qualified attorney will interview you about your immigration history. They will review all relevant documents. They will advise you if you are eligible to submit the application. They will also tell you whether you face any risks of the application being denied and/or being put into deportation proceedings.
You can contact the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota at 651-641-1011 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 1:30 pm to 7 p.m.