On 10.02.2020, USCIS was set to raise its fees for many applications and petitions across the board. Some of the biggest changes included adding a fee to asylum applications, increasing fees for adjustment of status packets, change/extension of status, naturalization, and many more. We included a table of the fee increase in our July blog.
Yet, on September 29, 2020, a district court prevented the August 2020 Final Rule from going into effect on 10.02.2020. This Final Rule would have required new versions of several forms and the aforementioned increase in fees. This means individuals can still submit applications without the new fees being required by USCIS!
We are not sure how long the injunction will remain in effect and it is nearly impossible to predict with any certainty how long the Final Rule will remain enjoined. If you are an individual interested in filing a petition or application, please schedule an appointment so we can determine whether we can assist with your case. Again, we cannot predict how long the current fees will remain in effect and we encourage individuals to submit eligible petitions or applications sooner rather than later before the new increased fees go into effect.