The first immigration-services fee increase in seven years is now in the hands of the White House. The USCIS application fees proposed rates have been sent by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. It’s been a year since the Biden administration proposed a review of the fees, and the last increase was in 2016.
Fee increases are expected to be fairly significant. USCIS is fully funded by fees generated, not through government budgeting. The update to the fee structure is meant to ensure the agency remains fully functioning and funded.
The OIRA review is the last stage for the USCIS application fees proposed changes. After review, USCIS is then able to finalize the new fees. UCSIS reviewed their current costs to deliver services and budgeted a total of $1.87 billion annually to maintain services. The proposed updates reflect an estimated 40% overall weighted average increase. The last publicly available proposal showed employers paying most of the fee increases. There was widespread criticism of the previous publicly available proposal.
ILBSG continues to actively monitor ongoing updates to U.S. immigration policy. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration-related issue, contact us. For continued updates, visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X / Twitter, and LinkedIn.
