Employment Law Report
USCIS Premium Processing Fee Increase
By: Glen W. Krebs
The immigration process is often associated with lengthy timelines and delays. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services “USCIS” implemented the premium processing tool to accelerate certain applications. Premium processing guarantees that a decision will be made by USCIS within 15 calendar days for most applications. The problem is the hefty fee which is in addition to the normal fee paid for immigrant and non-immigrant applications. That fee is set to increase even further on February 24, 2024.
Premium processing is available for multiple forms processed by USCIS including the I-129, I-140, I-539, and I-765. A final rule was published on December 28, 2023 announcing fee increases to reflect inflation from June 2021 to June 2023. Previously, the fee for premium processing for different visa classifications was $1,500, $1,750, and $2,500. Those have increased to $1,685, $1,965, and $2,805 respectively. If you are considering the filing of an application with premium processing, there is no better time than the present. Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs is uniquely situated with experienced immigration attorneys to assist you through this process.
