USCIS Filing Fees to Increase April 30, 2004
Courtesy of AILA
Effective April 30, 2004, the filing fees for various applications and petitions will increase by approximately $55 on average. Below is an excerpt from the Federal Register Notice announcing the fee increase with a link to the new filing fees.
SUMMARY: This rule adjusts the fee schedule of the Immigration
Examinations Fee Account (IEFA) for immigration benefit applications
and petitions, as well as the fee for capturing biometric information
of applicants or petitioners who apply for certain immigration
benefits. Fees collected from persons filing immigration benefit
applications are deposited into the IEFA and used to fund the full cost
of providing immigration benefits; the full cost of providing similar
benefits to asylum and refugee applicants; and the full cost of similar
benefits provided to other immigrants, as specified in the regulation,
at no charge. This rule adjusts the immigration benefit application
fees by approximately $55 per application, and increases the biometric
fee by $20, in order to ensure sufficient funding to process incoming
applications. In addition, on January 24, 2003, and February 27, 2003,
the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) published two
interim rules that first adjusted fees lower based on section 457 of
the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and then readjusted the fees to
preexisting levels, based upon the repeal of section 457. Accordingly,
this final rule will adopt the two interim rules as final without
change, and will adopt the fee structure that was proposed on February
3, 2004.
DATES: This final rule is effective April 30, 2004. Applications or petitions mailed, postmarked, or otherwise filed, on or after this date require the new fee.
http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/USCISFeeStructure.pdf
