Recently, we received a notice from a U.S. lawyer that from April 1, 2024, the fees for various immigration applications in the United States will be substantial**, many of which belong to the categories with more public applications, such as H1B, I-130, etc. It is understood that the fee adjustment is to solve the backlog of cases, and the immigration bureau will increase manpower input by increasing fees.
Sister Fei carefully looked at the specific relevant documents, and what was particularly striking was that the H-1B registration fee soared by 2050%! The price increase also involves various application fees such as L-1, I-130, I-140, I-485, I-526, I-539, I-765, and I-829.
The price increases for the popular immigration categories are as follows:
1.The H-1B registration fee ranges from $10** to $780
2.The L-1 application fee soared from $460 to $1385
3.The I-130 family-based petition fee increases to $675
4.The I-140 employment-based petition fee is increased to $715
5.The I-485 onshore adjustment of status application fee rises to $1,440
6.The I-526 immigrant investor petition fee surged to $11,160
7.The I-539 application fee for transfer of status or extension of status is increased to 470 470 420
8.The I-765 EAD application fee soared to 520 520 470
9.The I-829 Immigrant Investor Permanent Green Card application fee has risen to $9,525
It is worth noting:The filing fee and annual reporting fee for the EB-5 category have increased
1.The regional center application fee increased from $17,795 to $47,695, an increase of 168%.
2.The pre-approval fee also increased to $47,695, a 168% increase.
3.The regional center's annual reporting fee increased by 47 percent from $3,035 to $4,470.
USCIS explains this for two reasons:
1.USCIS needs to cover operating costs. As the number of U.S. immigration applications increases, so do USCIS staffing costs and processing workload. As a result, the operating costs of the EB-5 department increase, so there is an increase in expenses.
2.USCIS believes that EB-5 investors and regional centers have greater ability to pay because they are making large investments. The stronger the ability to pay, the greater the responsibility, so you need to adjust the level.
In addition to that,This price adjustment also includes the following features:
1. If you submit an application for both the work card and the green card at the same time, you can get a half-price discount on the application fee for the work card;
2. Most applicants do not need to pay a separate fingerprint fee;
3. Small business owners (with less than 25 employees) can enjoy half price for filing I-129 fees;
4. *Submit an application to get a $50 discount, and the majority of applicants are encouraged to use the ** submission method;
5. Applicants whose household income is between 150% and 400% of the federal poverty level can enjoy a half-price discount on the naturalization application fee.
This round of soaring fees has doubled the cost of immigration, which has aroused widespread concern and discussion in the society. In the future, Sister Fei will continue to pay close attention to the trends of the U.S. immigration policy and bring you timely and accurate interpretations.