Final USCIS Fee Increase Rule On Hold

In response to litigation from American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and law firm Sidley Austin LLP, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California stayed the implementation and effective date of the USCIS final fee rule, which was set to go into effect today, October 2. This rule, as proposed, includes new form versions for numerous employment visa case types, and hefty government filing fee increases for many case types including H-1Bs, L-1s, Adjustment of Status, and Naturalization applications to name a few. Further, the rule proposed extending Premium Processing service from 15 calendar days to 15 business days, thus extending any expedited service from two to three weeks. Until such litigation is adjudicated, the present fees and forms posted on the USCIS website remain in effect, and Premium Processing remains at 15 calendar days.