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.