The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a final rule to raise the filing fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, in response to inflation. This change is in line with the USCIS Stabilization Act, which allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust premium processing fees biennially. After a three-year period without changes following the Act’s passage, DHS is now increasing the fees to align with inflation rates from June 2021 to June 2023, based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
The fee adjustment will see an increase in various categories, with premium processing fees rising from $1,500 to $1,685, $1,750 to $1,965, and $2,500 to $2,805. The additional revenue generated from this increase will support premium processing services, improvements to adjudication processes, reduction of processing backlogs, and funding for other USCIS adjudication and naturalization services.
The new fee structure is set to take effect on February 26, 2024. USCIS has clarified that any Form I-907 postmarked on or after this date with the incorrect fee will be rejected and returned. The date on the courier receipt will be considered the postmark date for submissions sent via commercial couriers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
The updated fees are detailed for various forms, including Form I-129 for nonimmigrant workers, Form I-140 for immigrant workers, Form I-539 for nonimmigrant status changes or extensions, and Form I-765 for employment authorization. Each of these forms has specific fee increases depending on the classification.
USCIS reminds applicants that premium processing is only available for certain benefits as announced on its website.
