US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced increases in the current premium processing fees – purportedly. to account for inflation.  The new fees will go into effect for filings received February 26, 2024 and forward.

Premium processing secures faster processing and response (though not necessarily approval) in exchange for a fee filed with form I-907 Request for Premium Processing. Initial response is guaranteed within 15 to 45 days depending on form type, with the same time frame applying for secondary response after filing a response to a Request for Evidence.  Without premium processing, petitioners, beneficiaries and applicants may wait for many months for a response.

The current $2,500.00 premium processing  fee for I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Visas (except for those petitioning for H-2B or  R-1 status) and for I-140 Immigrant Visa Petitions will go up to $2,805.00.  The $1,500.00 fee for I-129s requesting H-2B or R-1 status is increasing to $1,685.00.

For I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status filings, often used for derivative (spouse and children) or visitor & student nonimmigrant visas among others, the current $1,750 premium processing fee is increasing to $1,965.00.  The I-765 Application for Employment Authorization Document sees the same $1,500.00 to $1,650 increase as the I-129s for H-2Bs and R-1s.