US Immigration USCIS has removed the Biometric Fee required for submission of Form I-539: – Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status – written by Attorney Daliah Sklar © 

September 25, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced, unexpectedly, a change in filing fees – surprisingly for the better and not for the worse. From October 1, 2023, any applicant who is required to submit the Form I-539, The Application to Extend or Change Nonimmigrant Status, will no longer be required to pay the $85 Biometric services fee that was additional to the regular fees. 

This exemption will cover all submitted I-539 Petitions postmarked on or after October 1, 2023, extending to individuals seeking extensions or changes of status to H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, or E-3 nonimmigrant categories.

Understanding Biometric Fees: – Biometrics play a crucial role in the immigration process, serving as a secure method to verify the identity of applicants. Biometric information typically includes fingerprints, photographs, and other personal data. The $85 biometric services fee was implemented to cover the costs associated with collecting and processing this vital information. By removing this fee, USCIS aims to make the immigration process more accessible and affordable for applicants. Does this mean that the process will not validate these details ? We do not believe that! But rather, with more availability for security measures implemented into most software applications, hopefully this will continue to ensure the security of all candidates. It is also assumed that all the biometric details are now included in issuance of a foreign passport, taken as part of the consular processing procedure or at certain airports prior to entry to the US. 

Fees for the I-539 – $370 per petition – As of April 1, 2022, the USCIS do not accept a single, combined fee payment when filing Form I-539. This means that if a main applicant and the spouse and three children need to submit to extend or change the status – five separate fees should be paid amounting to $370 each, a total of $1850 USD. The fees can be paid by credit card which is found here – https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1450.pdf In regards to the Credit card clients ask us the following questions:

Does the G-1450 need to be signed? 

Each USCIS Credit card Form must be properly signed and filed.

Can we Typewrite our name instead of the signature?

No For each USCIS Credit card – the USCIS will not accept a stamped or typewritten name in place of a signature

Can we use any credit card to pay the fees? 

No – The credit card must be issued by a U.S. bank.