If you are planning to file an immigration petition, you may want to file earlier to save money. Starting December 23, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will significantly increase fees for a number of immigration filings.
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Immigration Fees Are Going Up on December 23, 2016
In a final rule published on October 24, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the new fees. On average, the fees will increase by 21%, but some fees are being increased as much as 95% from their original price.
"The majority of [USCIS] immigration benefits applications are going up in price, some of them are even going up as much as 95 percent," said Immigration specialist and Chicanos Por La Causa consultant, Emmanuel Villegas. "If you've been thinking about filing a petition for a family member or you are up for citizenship and haven't really thought of it much, you should probably make a plan."
This increase in fees will be the first in six years and, according to USCIS, it is necessary in order to recoup higher costs associated with customer service, case processing, fraud detection, and national security. To view the full list of new prices, click here.
Avoid Increased Immigration Fees
If you want to avoid increased immigration fees, seek an immigration consultation as soon as possible. Immigration applications or petitions postmarked or filed on or after December 23, 2016, without the new increased fees will be rejected.
To avoid delay because of insufficient filing fees, new applications or petitions should be sent in well in advance of the scheduled fee increase. If you are not sure whether you have enough time to file before the deadline, call our offices to set up a consultation and discuss your options.
