As we reported in February, US Citizenship and Immigration Services has now implemented filing fee increases the agency announced through a formal rulemaking in January.
As of April 1, 2024, US employers who sponsor nonimmigrant workers for temporary status are seeing increases of 70 to 200 percent in filing fees, with L-1 petitions at the high end of that range. Filing fees for green card sponsorship have also risen, but by much smaller margins.
USCIS intends to use the additional revenues derived from the higher filing fees to improve customer service and reduce case backlogs. In addition, the agency will use an “Asylum Program Fee” of $600, charged on Forms I-129 and I-140, to shift asylum processing away from the southwest border to major U.S. cities in the interior for asylum-seeking families with children.
Please refer to our previous article for details.