On September 26th, the USCIS announced that starting October 26, 2005 a new fee structure for filing fees will become effective. The new structure will increase fees on an average of $10 for each application or petition filed. The USCIS has stated that this increase is necessary in order to account for inflation.

“USCIS is committed to delivering world class customer service,” stated acting USCIS Deputy Director Robert Divine. “Because USCIS is a fee-based agency, we must charge amounts that will recover the full costs of our operations in order to continue the progress we have made in reducing the backlog. USCIS has already reduced its backlog from 3.9 million to 1.1 million cases.”

Fee waivers are available to any applicant/petitioner who qualifies as ineligible to pay. To determine whether an applicant/petitioner meets this standard, USCIS officers will consider all relevant factors, including age, disability, income, and qualification within the past six months for a Federal mean-tested benefit.

See http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/FeeAdjustmnts_050926.pdf for further details.