Where to Find the Current EB-2 NIW Filing Fees

Why you should never rely on a remembered or cached fee

USCIS filing fees are not fixed. They change through published fee rules that go through a federal rulemaking process, and the agency periodically adjusts amounts for individual forms — sometimes by a few dollars, sometimes substantially, and not on any predictable annual schedule. A fee that was correct six months ago, or even six weeks ago, may no longer be correct on the day you file.

This matters because USCIS applies a strict rule at intake: a petition submitted with an incorrect fee, even a slightly outdated one, is rejected outright. It is not adjudicated with a request for the difference — it is returned to you, your filing date is lost, and you must resubmit with the correct amount. For an NIW petition where priority date or timing may matter, a rejection over a stale fee is an entirely avoidable setback.

Where stale numbers come from

The most common source of outdated fees is not memory — it's secondhand information. Immigration forums, law firm blog posts, YouTube walkthroughs, and downloaded PDF guides are frequently written or last updated well before the most recent fee rule took effect, and they rarely get revised after publication. A number that was accurate when an article was written can sit online, unedited, for years.

The working rule

Treat any fee figure you did not personally verify on uscis.gov on the day you are preparing to file as unverified. Bookmark nothing as final. Screenshots, notes, and prior filings are useful for reference, but the only number that counts is the one confirmed directly on the official site immediately before submission.

The forms involved in an EB-2 NIW petition and their separate fees

An EB-2 NIW filing is rarely a single form with a single fee. Depending on your strategy — filing the immigrant petition alone or filing it together with an adjustment of status package — you may be dealing with several forms at once, each with its own line item on the USCIS fee schedule.

Core form

• Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker — This is the petition itself, the document that carries the NIW request. It has its own standalone fee, checked separately from anything else you file.

Forms that may accompany a concurrent filing

If you are eligible to file for adjustment of status at the same time as the I-140 (concurrent filing), you may also be submitting:

• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status — carries its own fee, and in many cases a bundled or separately listed biometric services component.
• Form I-131, Application for Travel Document — used to request advance parole; often filed alongside I-485 but priced independently.
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization — used to request a work permit while adjustment is pending; also priced independently.

Why you cannot assume one combined number

USCIS periodically bundles or unbundles fees for concurrently filed forms (for example, treating I-765 and I-131 fees as included with a pending I-485 in some periods, and as separate line items in others). Never assume today's bundling rules match what you read in an older guide. Check each form's current fee individually on uscis.gov and confirm, on the current fee schedule, whether any bundling or fee waiver rule applies to your specific combination of forms.

Step-by-step: finding the current fee on uscis.gov

Use this procedure for each form separately, immediately before you file.

1. Go directly to uscis.gov

Type the address into your browser rather than clicking a link from a search engine, email, or forum post. Search results and old bookmarks can point to cached or outdated pages.

2. Navigate to the Forms page

From the main menu, select "Forms." This page lists all USCIS forms currently in use, each with a link to its own dedicated page.

3. Select the specific form

Search or scroll for the exact form number — for example, "I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker." Click through to that form's individual page. Do not rely on a summary or third-party list that aggregates multiple form fees.

4. Locate the "Filing Fee" field

Each form's page displays a "Filing Fee" field near the top, alongside the edition date and filing location. Record this figure.

5. Cross-check against the G-1055 Fee Schedule

Search uscis.gov for "G-1055 Fee Schedule," a consolidated table listing fees for every USCIS form. Confirm that the amount on the individual form page matches the amount listed for that same form on G-1055. A mismatch usually means one of the two pages has not yet updated — check the date on each and treat the more recent one as authoritative, or contact USCIS directly if unclear.

6. Use the Fee Calculator for concurrent filings

If filing Form I-485 concurrently with other forms, use the Fee Calculator tool on the I-485 page. It totals the fees for the specific combination of forms you select, reducing the chance of a manual addition error.

Confirming the effective date and edition applies to your filing

USCIS fee changes are published with a specific effective date. Everything filed before that date uses the old fee; everything filed on or after it uses the new one. There is no grace period based on when you started preparing your packet, when you printed your forms, or when you paid a filing service. What matters is the date your petition is postmarked (for paper filings) or submitted (for electronic filings). A petition assembled over several months but mailed the day after a fee increase takes effect must use the new fee — no exceptions for timing that falls outside your control.

How to check the edition date

1. On each form's USCIS page, locate the "Edition Date" printed in the bottom corner of the form and referenced near the top of the form's webpage.
2. Confirm you are using the current edition. USCIS periodically retires old editions; petitions filed on an expired edition can be rejected regardless of whether the fee was correct.
3. Check the form page for any banner or notice stating an edition or fee change is scheduled or has just taken effect, including grace-period language for outgoing editions.

How to check the effective date of a fee

1. On the G-1055 Fee Schedule page, look for a note or effective-date column next to any fee that has recently changed.
2. If a change is upcoming, note the exact date it takes effect and compare it to your planned filing date.
3. If you are filing close to a fee-change date, wait to confirm the fee again as near to your actual mailing or submission date as possible, since preparation timelines often slip.

Re-verify both the edition and the fee immediately before filing, not just when you first drafted the petition.

Checking for the biometric services fee and any additional fees

A single form fee is not always the whole bill. Depending on the classification and whether forms are filed concurrently, additional fee line items can apply — and missing one is a common cause of rejected packages.

Items to check for

• Biometric services fee — historically required for certain benefit requests, including Form I-485 in some circumstances. Whether it applies, and at what amount, has changed across recent fee rules, so do not assume the older "$85 biometrics" figure still applies. Check the current I-485 fee page and instructions directly.
• Asylum Program Fee — a separate fee introduced for certain employment-based petitioners filing Form I-140, payable by the petitioner in employer-sponsored cases. Since EB-2 NIW petitions are self-petitions, confirm on the current I-140 instructions and fee schedule whether this line item applies to your filing type at all.
• Any other listed fee — form instructions occasionally list conditional fees (e.g., premium processing if you choose to file Form I-907, or fees tied to specific eligibility categories on I-485 or I-765).

How to check

1. Open the current PDF instructions for each form you're filing (I-140, I-485, I-131, I-765) directly from each form's uscis.gov page.
2. Search the instructions for the word

Building a simple fee-tracking worksheet before filing

Because an EB-2 NIW filing can involve several forms, each with its own fee and its own confirmation step, it helps to consolidate everything into a single worksheet before assembling the packet. This is not a USCIS requirement — it is a personal record that lets you verify, at a glance, that every fee was checked directly on uscis.gov and that nothing was carried over from memory or an old draft.

Sample layout

How to use it

1. Fill in one row per form you intend to file, leaving no fee field blank or assumed.
2. Check each fee directly on the form's uscis.gov page on the same day, and record that date in the worksheet.
3. Save a dated screenshot or printed copy of each fee page — including the browser's visible date/time if possible — and mark the record as saved.
4. Store these screenshots with your filing copies, not just on a device that could be lost or overwritten.
5. Recheck the worksheet again immediately before mailing or submitting, since fee figures can change without extended notice.

Verifying payment method and amount before submission

Calculating the correct total is only half the task. USCIS also specifies how each fee must be paid, and a mismatch between the amount you send and the amount currently required — or an incorrect payment method — is a common cause of rejection.

Match payment method to filing type

1. For paper filings, check the form instructions for accepted payment types: typically a check or money order made out to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security," though some service centers or filing categories have exceptions noted in the instructions. Confirm the exact payee name on the current instructions rather than copying it from an old sample petition.
2. If paying by check, do not combine multiple form fees into a single check unless the current form instructions explicitly permit it. Some petitions require separate checks per form (e.g., I-140, I-485, I-131, I-765 as separate payments).
3. For online or e-filing submissions, follow the USCIS online payment portal and confirm the total charge matches the sum of the current per-form fees before authorizing payment.

Reconfirm within a short window before submission

1. Fee rules can take effect with limited advance notice. Recheck each form's current fee on uscis.gov within a day or two of mailing or submitting online — not just when you began assembling the petition.
2. Recalculate the total combined fee immediately before writing a check, buying a money order, or clicking submit.
3. Keep a dated printout or screenshot of the fee confirmation alongside your payment record, so you have evidence of the amount required at the time you filed.

An incorrect amount, wrong payee, or outdated combined check can result in the entire package being returned as improperly filed.