USCIS reminds applicants and petitioners to pay new fees with forms postmarked or filed on or after Dec. 23, 2016, or USCIS will not be able to accept the filings. USCIS will only accept previous fees if they are postmarked Dec. 22 or earlier.
Beginning on Dec. 23, you will no longer have a 14-day grace period to correct a failed fee payment. USCIS will immediately reject a benefit request for nonpayment. USCIS will also no longer hold benefit requests submitted without the correct biometric services fees. You must pay biometric services fees, if applicable, at the time of filing. USCIS will reject a benefit request if it is received without the correct biometric services fee, as specified in the form instructions.
Along with the fee changes, USCIS are introducing a reduced fee option for certain low-income naturalization applicants who do not qualify for a fee waiver. For eligibility details and filing instructions, see Form I-942, Request for Reduced Fee, and Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
USCIS is funded almost entirely by fees. Read USCIS Oct. 24 news release about it's first fee increase in 6 years, which is needed to recover the full cost of services. These include the costs associated with fraud detection and national security, customer service and case processing, and providing services without charge or fee waivers and exemptions for those who are eligible.
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