The Department of Homeland Security released its new fee schedule this week. The new filing fees will go into effect for applications received by the immigration service on or after July 30, 2007. Some key fee increases to take note of include:

I-129 Petition for a Non Immigrant Worker                   $320
This is the form fee only. The supplemental fees and fraud prevention fees are additional.

I-140 Petition for an Immigrant Worker                         $475

I-485 Adjust Status to become a permanent resident    $1,010
This fee does not include the $80 Biometric fee. However, this fee does include the filing fee for an EAD and advance parole document. Payment of the new filing fee will allow the beneficiary to renew their EAD and advance parole documents without having to pay a filing fee for each renewal as long as the I-485 petition is being adjudicated. The downside is for those who have not paid the increased fee – they will have to pay the new filing fee for the EAD ($340) and the advance parole ($305) with each renewal.

You can reduce your immigration-related costs by filing your immigration petitions before the new fee schedule goes into effect. Please contact Sanford A. Posner or your Elarbee Thompson attorney if you need further information or assistance. The new filing fee schedule can also be found at http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis.