My Account Career Portal Forms Portal Learning Portal Mobility Magazine
Cart Cart

USCIS Increases Premium Processing Fees

Eric House - Oct 20 2020
Published in: Public Policy
| Updated Apr 27 2023
The United Stated Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a fee increase for premium processing services that went into effect this week on 19 October.

The United Stated Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a fee increase for premium processing services for certain visa applications that went into effect this week on 19 October. These fee increases are part of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act that was signed into law on 1 October 2020.

Premium processing is a service that allows petitioners to expedite the processing of certain visa applications by paying an additional filing fee. USCIS previously suspended premium processing this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resuming routine services in June.

According to the fee change, petitioners using Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, must now pay $2,500 rather than the previously established $1,440. The increase to $2,500 applies to all filings except for those filing a Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129) or those requesting H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status, where the fee increases from $1,440 to $1,500.

Effective 19 October, these fee increases stipulate that any Form I-907 petition postmarked on or after this date must use the new fee. If USCIS receives a Form I-907 with the old fee amount after this date, the filing will be rejected and returned. While the USCIS is authorized to expand premium processing to additional forms and benefits requests, it has indicated it is not taking such action at this time.

How This Impacts Mobility

Those in the workforce mobility industry filing either Form I-907 or Form I-129 to expedite a visa petition with the USCIS must be aware of fee increases in order to ensure that petitions are not rejected. Worldwide ERC® will provide updates to this matter should there be any changes, and if any member has questions please reach out to Vice President, Member Engagement and Public Policy Rebecca Peters, rpeters@worldwideerc.org.

Want to Learn More?

Join us at this year’s Global Workforce Symposium, a month-long, virtual event that features informative and engaging content tracks that are directly relevant to all our industry sectors. That includes our Public Policy Forums on 11/4 and 11/5, which cover public policy topics ranging from global, immigration and tax to real estate and compliance. Plus, there will be dynamic speakers, robust concurrent educational sessions and workshops, an extensive marketplace and exhibition hall, innovation labs and networking opportunities and events. There’s something for everyone at the industry’s biggest annual gathering, so don’t miss the Virtual Worldwide ERC® Global Workforce Symposium from 28 October through 20 November 2020. Register now!