New U.S. Visa Fees: Petitions, Naturalization, and Waivers

The new US visa fees took effect in two waves: a sweeping overhaul on April 1, 2024 (the first fee change since 2016) and an inflation-based adjustment on January 1, 2026 that pushed certain asylum, TPS, and work permit fees higher. Two changes matter most before you file anything. First, the Form I-485 adjustment fee no longer bundles in work authorization or travel documents, so those forms cost extra. Second, USCIS will not accept a personal check, business check, cashier’s check, or money order with a paper filing. Send one and the whole package comes back.

Family-Based Petition Costs

Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) costs $625 online or $675 on paper. Most USCIS forms carry that same $50 online discount, which reflects the lower cost of processing an electronic filing.

Form I-485 (Application to Adjust Status) is $1,440 for applicants age 14 and older. Before April 2024, that fee covered a concurrent work permit and travel document at no extra charge. It no longer does. If you file Form I-765 (work permit) or Form I-131 (travel document) alongside your adjustment, each carries its own fee.¹

There is one break for adjustment applicants. If you already have a pending I-485, the I-765 drops to a reduced $260 whether filed online or on paper. A standalone I-765 without a pending adjustment costs $470 online or $520 on paper. Advance parole on Form I-131 is $630 either way.¹

A family-based adjustment package that used to have one combined price now requires you to add up each component. If you want work authorization and a travel document while your green card is pending, you are paying for three forms.

Employment-Based Petition Costs

Employment petitions carry a layer of surcharges that did not exist before 2024. Most employers filing Form I-129 (nonimmigrant worker) or Form I-140 (immigrant worker) must include an Asylum Program Fee that scales by company size:²

Large employers with more than 25 full-time equivalent employees pay $600.
Small employers with 25 or fewer pay $300.
Nonprofits pay nothing.

The H-1B electronic registration fee went from $10 to $215 per beneficiary, a change that hits companies registering dozens of candidates hardest.³ If a registration is selected, the base I-129 petition fee is $780 for large firms and $460 for smaller entities and nonprofits. An initial H-1B or L-1 petition, or one filed for a change of employer, also carries a $500 Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee.²

L-1 intracompany transfer petitions cost $1,385 for larger corporations. O-1 petitions for individuals with extraordinary ability cost $1,055. Each base fee stacks on top of the Asylum Program Fee and any applicable fraud surcharge, so an employer sponsoring an H-1B worker should add the registration fee, base petition fee, Asylum Program Fee, and Fraud Prevention Fee together before budgeting.

Premium Processing

Employers and applicants who need a faster decision can file Form I-907 for premium processing, which guarantees USCIS action within a set timeframe. These amounts rose again on March 1, 2026:⁴

Form I-129 for most classifications (H-1B, L-1, O-1, E, P, TN): $2,965
Form I-129 for H-2B and R-1 only: $1,780
Form I-140 for all employment-based immigrant categories: $2,965
Form I-539 for F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2, M-1, and M-2 status changes: $2,075
Form I-765 for OPT and STEM OPT: $1,780

Premium processing sits on top of every other filing fee. An H-1B petition at a large company can pass $4,700 before attorney costs. Any petition postmarked on or after March 1, 2026 must include the updated amount or USCIS will reject it.⁴

Naturalization

Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization) is $710 online or $760 on paper. Biometrics, which used to be a separate $85 charge, are now folded into the main fee for most application types.⁵

Applicants whose household income falls between 150% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines can qualify for a reduced N-400 fee of $380, half the standard rate. This option is for people who earn too much for a full waiver but face real financial strain. You must file on paper with documentation of household income; the reduced rate is not available through the online portal.⁵

2026 Inflation Adjustments

A separate round of inflation-based increases took effect on January 1, 2026 under a congressional mandate. These adjustments apply to specific fees created by H.R. 1 and are recalculated each fiscal year based on the consumer price index. The increases are small compared with the 2024 overhaul but affect asylum seekers, TPS holders, and parolees:⁶

Annual Asylum Application Fee: $102, up from $100
Form I-765 initial EAD for asylum, parole, or TPS applicants: $560, up from $550
Form I-765 renewal or extension EAD for parole or TPS: $280, up from $275
Form I-821 TPS application: $510, up from $500

Any benefit request postmarked on or after January 1, 2026 must include the adjusted amount. USCIS rejects filings that still carry the old fees. These inflation adjustments repeat annually, so the current fee schedule needs a fresh check before every filing.⁶

Refugee and asylum applicants generally pay nothing for their core applications. USCIS funds humanitarian processing through revenue from employment-based and family-based filings, which is part of why the Asylum Program Fee exists.⁷

Fee Waivers and Reduced Fees

Form I-912 (Request for Fee Waiver) lets you ask USCIS to waive the filing fee entirely. You qualify on any one of three grounds:⁸

You or a qualifying family member currently receives a means-tested government benefit such as Medicaid or SNAP. You need documentation from the issuing agency proving current enrollment.
Your household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, shown through tax transcripts or recent pay stubs.
You face financial hardship from unexpected circumstances like large medical bills or job loss, documented with a detailed personal statement and financial records.

Not every form is waiver-eligible. Eligible forms include the N-400, the I-485 (with conditions), the I-90 (green card replacement), the I-751 (removing conditions on residence), and the I-765 (except for DACA). DACA applicants cannot request a fee waiver at all. Employment-based petitions like the I-129 and I-140 are generally not eligible either.⁹

How To Pay USCIS

This is where filings go wrong most often. USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders for paper filings. Mail in a form with a check and USCIS will reject the entire package.¹⁰

For paper filings sent by mail, you have two options:

Complete Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions) to pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card, and place it on top of your application package.¹¹
Complete Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions) to authorize a direct debit from a U.S. bank account. Foreign bank accounts are not accepted.¹²

A narrow paper-based payment exemption exists through Form G-1651, but most filers will not meet those criteria.¹⁰

Online filers can pay by credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or ACH debit directly through the USCIS portal. Electronic submission saves the $50 paper surcharge on most forms and eliminates the risk of a payment-related rejection.

Rejections and Refunds

USCIS rejects any application that arrives with the wrong fee. There is no grace period and no request to send the difference. The whole package comes back and you start over with a new filing date.¹³

If you pay by credit card and the charge is declined, USCIS will not retry the transaction. A declined card can get the application rejected outright.¹⁴ Before mailing a G-1450, confirm the card has sufficient available credit and won’t be flagged by the issuer for an unusual government charge.

Filing fees are generally non-refundable regardless of outcome. A denial does not get you the money back. Withdrawing the application does not either. The only exceptions are situations where USCIS itself caused an inappropriate filing or collected the wrong amount, in which case you can contact the USCIS Contact Center or send a written refund request to the office that handled your case.¹³

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Electronic Registration Process
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-400, Application for Naturalization Filing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Reminds Certain Employment-Based Petitioners to Submit the Correct Required Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Pay With a Credit Card by Mail