The 2025 Fee Landscape: What's Changed and What Hasn't
"What does it cost to file?" is one of the most frequent questions immigration attorneys receive — and the answer in 2025 is more complicated than it was in past years. The foundation of today's USCIS fee schedule is the agency's January 31, 2024 final rule, which took effect on April 1, 2024 and produced the first comprehensive fee adjustment since 2016. Layered on top of that foundation are several developments that occurred or matured during 2025: a federal court's partial stay of the 2024 rule, a November 14, 2025 G-1055 edition that rolled back EB-5 fees to pre-2024 levels, new statutory fees enacted under H.R. 1 (the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act") that began coming online in fall 2025, and a separate Maryland district court order temporarily staying USCIS implementation of the new Annual Asylum Fee. This post walks through what petitioners and applicants need to know in late 2025.
The Foundation: The April 1, 2024 Final Rule
The 2024 fee rule was USCIS's first across-the-board adjustment in eight years. USCIS — which is roughly 96% fee-funded — explained that operating costs had outrun the 2016 fee structure and that a new schedule was needed to support timely adjudication. Key features of the 2024 rule that remain in force include:
- Higher fees across most categories. Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) increased to $1,440 for most adults, with a reduced $950 fee for children under 14 filing concurrently with a parent. Form I-130 (immediate relative petition) and Form I-129 (nonimmigrant worker petition) saw fee adjustments by classification, with H-1B, L, O, P, and other categories now carrying different base fees.
- Unbundling of I-485, I-765, and I-131. For adjustment applications postmarked on or after April 1, 2024, the I-765 (employment authorization) and I-131 (advance parole) carry separate fees rather than being included in the I-485 fee. Concurrently filed I-765s for pending I-485s are charged at a reduced rate.
- The Asylum Program Fee. A new fee added to Forms I-129, I-129CW, and I-140 to fund the asylum program. The fee scales with employer size: standard, half-rate for small employers (25 or fewer FTEs), and exempt for nonprofits.
- Online filing discount. Most forms eligible for online filing carry a $50 discount over paper filing — a powerful incentive that has not yet been fully utilized by petitioners and applicants.
- Biometrics consolidated. The separate $85 biometric services fee was eliminated for most form types, with biometrics now included in the base fee. TPS applications and certain EOIR-related filings retain a separate $30 biometric fee.
- Form instructions no longer list fees. All fee information now lives on Form G-1055, the consolidated Fee Schedule, which USCIS updates as new editions are issued.
2025 Development #1: The Partial Court Stay
The 2024 fee rule was challenged in federal court shortly after publication. The litigation produced a partial stay affecting certain provisions of the rule. USCIS has implemented the partial stay through subsequent G-1055 editions, and applicants should consult the latest G-1055 edition before filing any affected form. The stay has not unwound the rule as a whole, but petitioners filing forms covered by the stay should confirm fee amounts using the agency's current fee schedule and fee calculator.
2025 Development #2: The November 14, 2025 G-1055 — EB-5 Fees Rolled Back
On November 14, 2025, USCIS published a new G-1055 edition that rolled back filing fees for several EB-5 forms to the pre-April-2024 amounts. The affected forms include:
- Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Standalone Investor
- Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor
- Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status
- Form I-956, Application for Regional Center Designation
- Form I-956F, Application for Approval of an Investment in a Commercial Enterprise
For investors and regional centers, the rollback is welcome news — the 2024 rule had increased EB-5 fees substantially, and the 2025 rollback restores the prior amounts. Investors planning EB-5 filings in late 2025 and 2026 should confirm the current fee on the G-1055 immediately before submission, as further changes are possible.
2025 Development #3: New Statutory Fees Under H.R. 1
The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1, Public Law 119-21), enacted in 2025, created several new statutory immigration fees and minimums. Implementation began with USCIS's July 22, 2025 Federal Register notice and the agency's fall 2025 outreach. Key provisions include:
- Annual Asylum Fee (AAF). A new annual fee on pending Form I-589 asylum applications. USCIS began sending notices on October 1, 2025 to asylum applicants required to pay the AAF. On October 30, 2025, however, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project v. USCIS temporarily stayed AAF implementation. Applicants who received pre-stay notices may disregard them while the stay is in place; USCIS has paused issuance of new notices and will issue updated guidance pending further litigation.
- Visa Integrity Fee. A statutory fee on certain nonimmigrant visa issuances, payable at the time of visa issuance. Implementation requires inter-agency coordination between USCIS and the Department of State and is rolling out in phases.
- Increased parole fees. Total fees for parole applications now vary substantially by category, ranging from approximately $275 to $1,425 depending on the category.
- Other fee adjustments. H.R. 1 also affects fees for Form I-102, certain TPS-related filings, and various employment authorization categories.
Because H.R. 1 implementation is occurring in stages and is being challenged in litigation in parallel, applicants in affected categories should confirm fee status with counsel before filing.
The Most Recent G-1055 Edition
USCIS publishes new editions of Form G-1055 as fees, exemptions, or filing rules change. The most current edition at the time of this post incorporates the November 14, 2025 EB-5 rollback. Subsequent editions will continue to be published as litigation, statutory implementations, and inflation adjustments take effect. Applicants and petitioners should always check the latest G-1055 (available at uscis.gov/g-1055) and the online Fee Calculator before submitting any application.
Practical Tips for Petitioners and Applicants
- Always file with the latest fee. USCIS uses the postmark date of the filing — not the receipt date — to determine which fee schedule applies. Filings submitted with the wrong fee are rejected outright; there is no opportunity to cure.
- File online when possible to capture the $50 discount. Online filing is available for an expanding list of forms. The discount adds up across the typical adjustment-of-status concurrent filing.
- Small employers: claim the discount. Petitioners with 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees can claim a 50% reduction on certain fees (most notably the Asylum Program Fee on I-129, I-129CW, and I-140) by checking the appropriate box on the form. No separate fee waiver application is required.
- Don't combine fees on one check. Since the 2024 rule, USCIS no longer accepts a single check or money order for combined fees on multiple applications. Each application requires its own payment.
- Use Form G-1450 for credit card payments by mail. The dedicated credit card authorization form is reliable and efficient. Returned-check fees were eliminated in 2024, but rejected-payment forms still cause processing delays.
- Plan for fee changes during pending applications. If you have an application currently being prepared, watch for new G-1055 editions before mailing. A fee change between drafting and mailing is one of the most common causes of rejection.
Fee Waivers and Exemptions
Many applicants are eligible for fee waivers (Form I-912) or fee exemptions, particularly in humanitarian categories. The 2024 rule expanded fee exemptions for several categories, including certain Afghan nationals, victims of human trafficking and other crimes, asylum applicants, and some military and family-of-military categories. Eligibility for fee waivers turns on income relative to federal poverty guidelines, receipt of means-tested benefits, or financial hardship. A well-supported fee waiver can save thousands of dollars on a complex case; a denied fee waiver, by contrast, can delay adjudication for months. Applicants who think they may qualify should consult counsel before filing.
How Cann Legal Group Helps
Fee planning is a small but consequential part of any immigration strategy. Our office tracks each G-1055 edition as it is published, monitors active litigation that might affect fee amounts, and confirms fees on the day of filing for every case we handle. We also help clients identify available fee waivers and exemptions, strategize the timing of concurrent filings to minimize total costs, and budget for the multi-year fees that come with conditional residence, naturalization, and follow-on family petitions.
For specific fee questions on a pending or planned application, please contact us at (410) 988-0123 or information@cannlaw.com.