On February 24, 2024, a fee increase will affect filers of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-907. Form I-907 is what applicants file when they are requesting premium processing of their applications.
For the first three years after the passage of the USCIS Stabilization Act, the fee for premium processing remained stable. Yet, the Act does allow for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust premium fees specifically, every two years. As such, the government has decided to adjust these fees to reflect increases in inflation occurring from June 2021 to June 2023.
What is changing?
All forms and application categories that are eligible for premium processing are being affected by this shift. While premium processing is technically optional, many applicants count on this expedited processing opportunity to reach their immigration goals. The fee adjustments – based on which forms applicants are filing at premium processing rates – are shifting from $1,500 to $1,685, $1,750 to $1,965, and $2,500 to $2,805.
DHS has indicated that it will use the gains made by the fee hike to fund USCIS services, including adjudication demand responses, adjudication process improvements and minimizing backlogs tied to benefit request processing.
Although this shift is technically occurring as of February 24, 2024, it is only Form 1-907 submissions postmarked on or after February 26, 2024, that will be rejected if an incorrect filing fee is attached to an applicant’s request.
Therefore, anyone who needs to request premium processing for any of their immigration-related concerns needs to be aware of this shift immediately or they’ll risk rejections of their requests and delays in the processing of their consequential claims.