12/29/2006: USCIS Requests OMB to Review/Approve Premium Processing Fee Increase per Inflation
Yesterday, the USCIS requested OMB to review and approve its proposed rule to raise the Premium Processing Fees. Once it is approved, it will be published with a 60-day comment period, probably before the spring. The purpose is stated as follows:
- Section 112 of the District of Columbia Appropriations Act of 2001 authorized the collection of a premium fee for employment-based petitions and applications. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses this fee to provide certain premium-processing services to business customers, and to make infrastructure improvements in the adjudications and customer-service processes. This proposed rule adjusts the premium processing fee for employment based petitions and applications, and provides that all future fee adjustments for Premium Processing Service will be made annually through publication in the Federal Register as with other USCIS fees. The premium processing fee is paid in addition to the regular petition or application fee.
There is no information available about the specific amount it will raise. However, a rumor has been going around that it will be quite substantial. Remember our posting of CRS Report on 12/22/2006 that under the FY 2007 DHS budget, USCIS will have to raise the fee income at whoppy $1,986 million! The amount which the USCIS will have to raise is historic. Beware of potential raise of all the filing fees to a "substantial" amount across the board in the coming year.