USCIS Fees Set to Increase on April 1, 2024

Dear Client:

We are reaching out to you as a client of Lincoln-Goldfinch Law to let you know about some possible changes to the immigration policies that will affect you case.

Begginning April 1, 2024, USCIS will apply a new fee policy. This means that the filing fee for many applications will be going up that day. The filing fee for your application(s) will be affected. If we file your application(s) on or after April 1st, you will have to pay the increased fee.

For this reason, we encourage you to submit any and all documents we are missing on your case to our office as soon as possible. If you would like to file you application before the filing fees go up, we will require that you submit all the required information and documents and ensure that your account is paid in full before 5:00pm on Friday, March 1st. We will do everything we can to try and get your case filed before the new fee rule goes into effect on April 1st.

USCIS operates on a fee-funded model, relying on application fees rather than taxes or congressional funding. The fee structure hasn’t seen an adjustment since 2016, and the challenges have only grown, particularly with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. USCIS does not see the fee increase as just about numbers; they see it as a crucial step to address the agency’s financial challenges, backlogs, and customer service issues. With this increase, USCIS has committed to utilizing the additional revenue to enhance application processing times and address backlogs.

For those facing financial hardships, fee waivers remain available for specific forms and applicants. The new fees are set to be implemented on April 1, 2024.