U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that on December 2, 2019, its premium processing fee will increase from $1,410 to $1,440 for certain employment-based petitions. The $30 increase will apply to Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, as well as Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers.
Petitioners may opt to pay the premium processing fee (in addition to the regular filing fees) so that their cases will be adjudicated within 15 days of filing. USCIS has attributed the fee increase to inflation. The last increase occurred in October 2018, when USCIS raised the fee slightly more than 15 percent.
Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments with respect to the fee increase and will post updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.
