DHS Increases Filing Fees for Immigration Paperwork

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new immigration processing fees on July 22, as part of the implementation of HR-1, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

“[The law] titled HR-1, establishes specific fees for various immigration-related forms, benefits, statuses, petitions, applications, and requests administered by multiple government agencies,” a DHS notice published in the Federal Register states.

The new fees will take effect on July 22. From Aug. 21, any form without the proper filing fee will be rejected.

The funds raised from the new fees will be allocated to relevant agencies or the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the notice states.

Asylum applications for foreign nationals, previously free, now carry a $100 fee. An additional $100 annual fee has been added for each calendar year that an application remains pending.

The initial registration fee for temporary protected status (TPS) increased from $80, including a previously waived $30 biometrics fee, to $530 with biometrics included.

“Each initial employment authorization for TPS registrants who are subject to this fee will be valid for a period of 1 year or for the duration of the alien’s TPS, whichever is shorter,” the DHS notice states.

The fee for filing the initial application for an employment authorization document (Form I-765) for asylum applicants increased from free to $550, while the renewal fee rose from $520 to $975.

HR-1 also modified the validity periods for some EAD categories, according to a July 18  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) statement.

“For alien parolees, initial employment authorization is valid for a period of no more than one year or for the duration of the alien’s parole, whichever is shorter,” the USCIS statement said.

It also included a new $250 “Special Immigrant Juvenile Fee” for young immigrants filing Form I-360.

The new fees implemented under HR-1 are in addition to those established in the USCIS Fee Schedule Part 106 and cannot be waived or reduced in most cases.

If an applicant believes they are eligible for a fee waiver under the USCIS Fee Schedule, they may submit Form I-912, a fee waiver request, or a written fee waiver request, in addition to the HR 1 fee.

The new fees affect individuals filing or with pending applications for political asylum; applicants for new or renewed employment authorization documents; immigrants with temporary protected status; beneficiaries of humanitarian parole programs submitting new or renewal requests; and those applying for special immigrant juvenile status.