As government filing fees change periodically, you should always check with the government for the most updated filing fees.
Immigration applications will become more expensive as filing fees are due to increase after October 2, 2020. On July 31, 2020, United States of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they will adjust their filing fees soon. The adjustment of fees will dramatically increase the filing fees for certain petitions, while making it more affordable for some of the immigrant visa categories.
USCIS filing fees hike for Naturalization and Adjustment of Status
With the new USCIS filing fee schedule, there will be a substantial increase of 81-83% for Naturalization (N-400) application. Naturalization is a process that helps permanent residents (green card holders) to become US citizens. Currently, the USCIS filing fee for N-400 is $640, after 10/2/2020 it will be $1,160 if submitted online or $1,170 if submitted via mail.
Another immigrant visa that will be affected by this new USCIS filing fee increase is the Adjustment of status petition. You file a adjustment of status petition when you adjust your status from a non-immigrant visa such as H-1b or F-1 to a immigrant visa such as a marriage based permanent residence (marriage based green card). Based on the USCIS filing fee increase, there will be a 51% increase for the I-485 petition, from $750 to $1,010.
Apply for you Green Card or Citizenship Now
Given the hike of USCIS filing fee in less than three month, the cost of filing for citizenship or adjustment of status will be signatically higher. Also, most of the fee waivers that are available now for low income applicants will be eliminated effective October 2, 2020. If you are considering becoming a permanent resident or citizenship, please contact our office to speak to our Chicago immigration lawyers.
Contact a Chicago, Illinois Immigration Attorney
Our law firm handles citizenship and adjustment of status petitions on a daily basis. We are a Chicago based multilingual immigration law firm that speaks Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. Please feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation. We serve clients in Chicago, Illinois and nationwide.