On July 31, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule with a significant rise in its fee schedule, affecting both individual immigrants and businesses. The new schedule has added new fees, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions, and limiting the number of beneficiaries for certain forms. Additionally, the new rule removes certain fee exemptions, changes fee waiver requirements, and alters premium processing time limits. The new schedule is to take effect October 2, 2020. The USCIS has announced that it declines to make any changes to the rule following the comments period.

The USCIS has increased its fees by a weighted average of 20%. For the first time, the United States has joined the very few countries in the world that charge asylum applicants; there will now be a $50 fee for asylum applica