On October 24, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a final rule published in the Federal Register adjusting the fees required for most immigration applications and petitions. The new fees will be effective Dec. 23.Applications and petitions postmarked or filed on or after Dec. 23 must include the new fees. Otherwise, USCIS will not accept them.

Fees will increase for the first time in six years, by a weighted average of 21 percent for most applications and petitions.   "This is our first fee increase since November 2010, and we sincerely appreciate the valuable public input we received as we prepared this final rule," said USCIS Director León Rodríguez. "We are mindful of the effect fee increases have on many of the customers we serve. That’s why we decided against raising fees as recommended after the fiscal year 2012 and 2014 fee reviews. "

Highlights are as follows:

• The fee for Form I-924, Application for Regional Center Designation under the Immigrant Investor Program, will increase from $6230 to $17795.
• The fee for Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, will increase from $1500 to $3675.
• Establish a new fee of $3,035 to recover the full cost of processing the Employment Based Immigrant Visa, Fifth Preference (EB-5) Annual Certification of Regional Center, Form I-924A.
• The fee for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, will increase from $580 to $700.
• The fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, will increase from $985 to $1140; As for Form I-485,Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (certain applicants under the age of 14 years), it will increase from $635 to $750.
• The fee for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, will increase from $365 to $455.
• A fee increase of $45, or 8 percent, from $595 to $640 for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.USCIS will offer a reduced filing fee of $320 for naturalization applicants with family incomes greater than 150 percent and not more than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For 2016, this means, for example, that a household of four with an income between $36,000 and $48,600 per year could pay the reduced fee. Those eligible may apply for this option using the new Form I-942, Request for Reduced Fee.

The final rule contains a table summarizing current and new fees. You may click the link below for more details:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/10/24/2016-25328/us-citizenship-and-immigration-services-fee-schedule

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Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.

At Zhang & Associates, P.C., our attorneys and supporting professionals are committed to providing high-quality immigration and non-immigration visa services. We specialize in NIW, EB-1, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past twenty years, we have successfully helped thousands of clients get green cards. If you plan to apply for a green card, please send your CV to Attorney Jerry Zhang (info@hooyou.com) for a free evaluation.

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(10/26/2016)