In early May, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a proposal in the public register, outlining changes to several filing fees. As the immigration law attorneys at Berd & Klauss, PLLC in New York explain, after a mandatory 60-day period for public comment, which expires on July 5, 2016, the new fee schedule will likely go into effect.

According to the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, USCIS is required to review its fee schedule every two years to ensure that it receives sufficient income to continue operations. The filing fees paid by applicants represents a full 94% of the agency's budget, and the current fiscal year review indicated that a full 21% increase was necessary to recover the cost of reviewing and processing immigration applications. This cost also goes to cover the expenses incurred by processing the applications of asylum seekers and other immigrants for whom filing fees are typically waived.

Fees for most applications and services are expected to increase, including:

• I-129: The filing fee will increase by 42%, up to $460.
• I-140: The Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers fee will be $700, a 21% increase.
• I-485: The new fee for filing a permanent address will be $1,140, plus an $85 fee for biometric processing. This is a 16% increase over the current fees.
• I-539: Filing this application will now cost $370, a 28% increase.
• I-765: Applications for Employment Authorizations will potentially see a more modest increase, up 8% to $410.

Berd & Klauss, PLLC's attorneys pride themselves on providing their clients high-quality legal advice based on the most recent developments in immigration law. They serve clients from all over the world in a wide variety of situations. Visit their website to learn more about their array of immigration law services, or call (212) 461-7152 to discuss your case today.