USCIS announced today that it will publish a 'final rule' in the Federal Register on May 30, 2007 that will significantly increase fees for all immigration benefits: petitions, applications and biometric services.  The new fee will affect all casework filed on (received by USCIS) or after July 30, 2007.

The USCIS indicates that the collection of new fees will lead to a 20% reduction in average processing times for all petitions and applications by September 2008.

The final rule retains the fee exemption for T visas (Victims of Human Trafficking) and self-petitioners seeking immigrant classification under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for humanitarian reasons, as well as an exemption for all refugee and asylum applicants. The final rule also allows USCIS to waive the filing fee for U.S. citizens seeking immigrant status for their alien spouses (K-3 visas) and will continue to waive fees for members of the U.S. Armed Forces applying for naturalization.