Highlights
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that the agency will increase the fees for premium processing service for certain employment-based applications and petitions on March 1, 2026 to reflect inflationary adjustments.
Those who plan to file a request for premium processing postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, must include the new fee for the specific benefit requested.
The new premium processing fees are as follows:
| Case type | Current Premium Processing Fee | New Premium Processing Fee | Increase |
Form I-140 |
$2,805 | $2,965 | $160 |
Form I-129 |
$2,805 $1,685 (H-2B & R-1) |
$2,965 $1,780 (H-2B or R-1) |
$160 $95 |
Form I-539 |
$1,965 | $2,075 | $110 |
Form I-765 (F-1 OPT) |
$1,685 | $1,780 | $95 |
Applicants and employers who wish to avoid the upcoming increase in the premium processing fee should make sure to submit their requests well in advance of the March 1st deadline.
Submitting early not only helps lock in the current lower fee but also reduces the risk of processing delays that could occur as the fee change approaches. Careful planning and timely submission are essential for those looking to take advantage of the existing rate before the new, higher fee takes effect.
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On August 29, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major update to how filing fees for USCIS forms are paid.
Starting October 28, 2025, all payments must be made electronically through ACH bank transfer from a U.S. bank account or with credit/debit cards. Paper checks and money orders will no longer be accepted.
Payment Methods
Applicants should confirm that the bank account or card used has sufficient funds to avoid rejected filings.
Why the Change
This initiative supports Executive Order 14247, “Modernizing Payments to and from America’s Bank Account,” which seeks to streamline the processing of checks and money orders, reduce staff workload, and minimize risks related to fraud, lost payments, and theft.
USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser, cited in the agency’s press release, stated, “Over 90% of our payments come from checks and money orders, causing processing delays and increasing the risk of fraud and lost payments.”
For additional guidance on making a payment for USCIS filing fees, please reach out to your caseworker or an attorney at the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick.
To learn more about this announcement, please click here.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, effective October 28, it will no longer accept checks or money orders for payment of filing fees, ending the previously permitted payment methods.
What Payment Methods Are Now Accepted?
Payment by ACH Bank Transfer
Starting October 28th USCIS will accept payment of filing fees directly from a U.S. bank account by electronic debit.
To use this payment method, individuals must complete and sign Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, and submit it along with their application, petition, or request.
Please note that the bank account must be with a U.S. financial institution, as ACH transactions cannot be processed through foreign banks.
Payment by Credit Card
Alternatively, payment for filing fees can be made using a credit card issued by a U.S. bank, by completing Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions.
Please note that USCIS does not accept credit cards issued by foreign banks.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue a Federal Register notice enforcing new fees for certain immigration benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025. Benefit requests submitted to the agency without the proper fees will be rejected.
These new fees are part of the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill. A portion of these new fees will be deposited into a U.S. Treasury account that primarily funds the operations of USCIS.
Please be aware that the Federal Register Notice does not include all the new fees mandated by the new bill. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will issue a future announcement regarding the implementation of fees that have not been addressed in Tuesday’s notice.
What are the new fees?
Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published guidance to help petitioners of Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers submit the correct filing fee payment when submitting their applications with USCIS.
Since USCIS increased its filing fees in April and implemented a new asylum program fee of $600 for employment-based petitioners filing I-140, it has been rejecting a very high number of petitions due to incorrect fees and missing information.
USCIS reminds all petitioners of Form I-140 that they must provide a payment for the $600 asylum program fee, unless they qualify for a reduced fee of $300 (small employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees), or are exempt from the asylum program fee (nonprofit organizations).
Petitioners who do not provide the correct asylum program fee and the appropriate I-140 filing fee may have their cases rejected.
Additionally, petitioners must provide correct responses on Part 1 for questions 5 and 6 of Form I-140 notifying USCIS whether they qualify for a reduced fee. This portion of the form cannot be left blank.
Petitioners who fail to provide the correct payment with the I-140 petition, or who do not provide a response for questions 5 and 6 in Part 1, may have their cases rejected.
USCIS has published the following guidance on how to complete questions 5 and 6 and determine the correct payment.
| Petitioner Type | In Part 1 of the I-140 Question 5 | In Part 1 of the I-140 Question 6 | Asylum Program Fee | Filing Fee | Total Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-profit or Small Business | |||||
| A nonprofit business, institution, or government research organization. | Yes | Yes or No | $0 | $715 | $715 |
| A small business or organization employing 25 or fewer full-time employees in the United States | No | Yes | $300 | $715 | $1,015 |
| Individual Self-Petitioner | |||||
| A self-petitioner employing 25 or fewer (or zero) full-time employees in the United States | No | Yes | $300 | $715 | $1,015 |
| All Other Petitioners | |||||
| All petitioners who do not qualify for a reduced Asylum Program Fee and answer “No” to both questions 5 and 6. | No | No | $600 | $715 | $1,315 |
I-140 Filing Fee Guidance
USCIS requests that I-140 petitioners provide separate payments for the $715 filing fee and the Asylum Program Fee, using the same type of payment, either check/money order or Form G-1450 to pay with a credit card. Packages filed with more than one type of payment may be rejected.
Petitioners should also review the FAQ section discussing the new USCIS filing fees in subsection “Employment-Based Forms and Fees” for further guidance.
In this blog post, we bring you an important announcement regarding the H-1B fiscal year (FY) 2025 cap season.
Today, April 1st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received sufficient electronic registrations during the initial registration period to meet the annual numerical limitations for the fiscal year (FY 2025), including for the advanced degree exemption (also known as the master’s cap).
Due to this, the agency has completed the H-1B visa lottery and selected unique beneficiaries at random from the properly submitted registrations to reach the H-1B cap.
As of today, April 1st USCIS has notified all prospective petitioners of their selection via their myUSCIS organizational accounts. Please be aware that only selected beneficiaries are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition with USCIS.
Congratulations to all those who were selected!
How will I know if I was selected in the lottery?
Petitioners with selected registrations will have their myUSCIS online organizational accounts updated to include a selection notice, which includes details of when and where to file. If you submitted your electronic registration with the assistance of an attorney, you should contact your legal representative to determine whether you were selected in the randomized lottery and your next steps.
On January 30, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule in the Federal Register making significant fee increases for various immigration applications and benefit requests. This fee increase will be the first major adjustment in the filing fees since 2016. The increase is meant to address the agency’s operational and financial challenges to support the timely processing of new applications.
The fee increase will take effect starting April 1, 2024. All applications postmarked after this date will be subject to the fee increases in the final rule.
TIP: To avoid paying the higher fees, USCIS must receive applications before April 1, 2024.
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