How to Use Form I-912P to Request an Immigration Fee Waiver

The Form I-912P immigration fee waiver chart is a reference sheet, not a form you fill out. It lists 150 percent of the annual Federal Poverty Guidelines by household size and location, and you use those numbers to decide whether your income is low enough to ask USCIS to waive the filing fee on certain applications. If your household income sits at or below the figure for your household size on I-912P, you meet the income-based ground for a fee waiver and can request one by filing Form I-912 together with your underlying application.

The Current 150 Percent Poverty Thresholds

The thresholds are updated each year. For the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the current figures are:¹

1 person: $23,940
2 people: $32,460
3 people: $40,980
4 people: $49,500
5 people: $58,020
6 people: $66,540
7 people: $75,060
8 people: $83,580

For each additional person beyond eight, add $8,520. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures because of elevated living costs. The base 100 percent poverty figure for a single person in Alaska is $19,550 and in Hawaii is $17,990, so the 150 percent thresholds for those two states run roughly 25 and 15 percent above the mainland numbers.²

Compare your total household income against the number for your household size and location. At or below the threshold, you qualify on income grounds.

How to Count Your Household

Miscounting the household is one of the fastest ways to get a fee waiver denied, because it changes which row on I-912P applies. USCIS defines the household more narrowly than everyone living at your address. You count:³

Yourself, or the head of household. For a child under 21 filing on their own, include the primary custodial parent.
Your spouse, but only if they live with you. If you are legally separated or your spouse lives elsewhere, do not count them.
Your unmarried children or legal wards under 21 who live with you.
Your unmarried children or wards aged 21 to 23 who are full-time students and live with you when not at school.
Your disabled children or wards of any age who cannot live independently and for whom you are the legal guardian.
Your parents who live with you.
Anyone else claimed as a dependent on your, your spouse’s, or the head of household’s federal tax return.

Roommates, friends, and others sharing your home who are not your dependents do not count. Adding someone who does not qualify inflates the household number, raises the threshold you compare against, and can make you appear eligible when you are not. That mismatch, once USCIS reviews the documents, becomes a denial.

Adding Up Household Income

Once you know who is in the household, add the gross annual income of every person you counted. Gross income is the total before taxes and deductions. If you filed a federal tax return, USCIS looks at the Adjusted Gross Income on line 11 of IRS Form 1040.⁴

For anyone in the household who did not file taxes, submit other proof of earnings: W-2 forms, pay stubs covering the previous 12 months, or a letter from an employer. USCIS wants documentation for every household member’s income, not just yours. If someone in the household earns money and you submit nothing, the adjudicator may deny the request because total household income cannot be determined.⁵

One trap worth flagging: if your tax filing status contradicts what you claim on the waiver, USCIS will notice. Filing as “married filing jointly” while telling USCIS you are separated and excluding your spouse’s income is a red flag. If that is your situation, include proof of the separation, such as a court order, a notarized property settlement, or lease agreements showing separate addresses.³

If Your Income Is Above the I-912P Threshold

Income is only one of three grounds. You can also qualify by receiving a means-tested government benefit, or by showing extreme financial hardship. Filing under every ground that applies to you strengthens the request, because a weak showing on one ground can still be approved on another.³

Means-Tested Benefits

If you or a qualifying family member currently receives a benefit awarded on the basis of income, that alone can support a waiver. Qualifying programs include Medicaid, CHIP, or SCHIP; SNAP and similar food assistance; TANF; SSI; Section 8 and other housing assistance, including under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; WIC and other childcare programs; LIHEAP and other energy assistance; Stafford Act disaster assistance; and cash benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs or other federal, state, local, or tribal benefits based on veteran status.³

Your proof must show four things: the name of the person receiving the benefit, the agency providing it, the type of benefit, and that the benefit is current. A recently dated letter from the agency is the cleanest evidence. Benefit cards alone are not enough unless they show all four elements. If the letter is more than 12 months old, include something showing you still receive the benefit. The qualifying family member can be your spouse, parent (if you are under 21 or disabled), sibling, or child living with you.⁶

Financial Hardship

If your income is above 150 percent of the guidelines and you do not receive a means-tested benefit, you can still qualify by showing that paying the fee would cause extreme financial hardship. USCIS lists supporting circumstances including medical emergencies, unemployment or reduced hours, eviction or homelessness, inability to cover rent or utilities, military deployment of a spouse or parent, loss of a home to fire or flooding, substantial small-business losses, divorce or death of a spouse, victimization (including VAWA, T, or U filings), and natural disasters. You describe the hardship in Part 6 of Form I-912 and back it with documents: medical bills, termination letters, unemployment records, eviction notices, utility shutoff warnings, bank statements, or pay stubs showing the change. USCIS also asks for a list of assets and monthly expenses. Retirement accounts such as 401(k) plans and IRAs are not counted as assets unless they are your only income source.⁷

Which Applications a Fee Waiver Covers

Not every USCIS form is eligible. Commonly waived forms include:⁵

Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (except DACA filers)
Form I-817, Application for Family Unity Benefits
Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (biometric services fee only)
Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship

Some forms are eligible only in narrow situations. Form I-290B is waivable only when the underlying benefit request was fee-exempt or had an approved waiver. Form I-131 is eligible only for humanitarian parole applicants. The full list is in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part B, Chapter 4.⁵

Certain fees created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Pub. L. 119-21) cannot be waived or reduced under any circumstances. These include the asylum application fee, employment authorization fees for asylum applicants and parolees, TPS fees and related EAD fees, the Special Immigrant Juvenile fee, and the annual asylum fee. Filing Form I-912 does not cover any of these.⁸

Filing the Request

You submit the waiver on Form I-912, not on I-912P. There are two ways to file:⁶

By mail: print and complete Form I-912, attach your supporting documents, and mail it with the underlying application. The mailing address depends on which form you are filing, so check the filing instructions for that form.
Online: for certain eligible forms, upload a completed PDF of Form I-912 through your USCIS online account along with the application.

Two rules are firm. Form I-912 cannot be submitted on its own; it must accompany a completed application or petition. And it cannot be submitted after USCIS has already received the underlying application. If you forgot to include it, you will need to pay the fee or, in some cases, withdraw and refile.⁶

USCIS reviews the waiver before processing the underlying application and sends you a written decision. Approval means the application is accepted without a fee and moves into normal processing. A denial explains why and tells you how to resubmit with the proper fee. A denied waiver is not the same as a rejected application, but for some benefits the window to resubmit is short, so read the notice carefully.⁷

Why Waivers Get Denied

USCIS publishes the grounds it rejects on, and the same problems come up repeatedly:⁵

No Form I-912 or written request was included. Simply skipping the fee is not the same as requesting a waiver.
The underlying form is not eligible for a waiver.
Income is above 150 percent of the guidelines and no means-tested benefit or hardship was claimed.
Income documentation is missing for one or more household members. If someone in the household has zero income, explain that in writing rather than leaving it blank.
Tax filing status conflicts with what the waiver says, without an explanation and supporting documents.
A spouse is named on the form but no income documentation or statement is provided for that spouse.

Completeness is the best defense. Document every person and every income source, keep benefit letters within 12 months, and make sure the numbers you give USCIS line up with your tax returns and other records.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2025 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
4
Internal Revenue Service. Adjusted Gross Income
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
8
Federal Register. USCIS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill