On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law new budget legislation known as “” (Public Law 119-21).¹ This bill increased fees on some applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Justice Department, visas issued by the State Department, and I-94s issued by Customs and Border Protection.

At RIS, we do not anticipate that the increase in USCIS and Justice Department fees will immediately affect our clients. Most of the increases are related to humanitarian forms of relief, like asylum or Temporary Protected Status. The “Visa Integrity Fee” may affect clients, since it will affect every non-immigrant visa category.² When more details about the I-94 fee are released, they also may prove relevant to our clients.

With the changing visa and entry requirements in recent months, it is valuable to be aware of the upward trend in fees as it may impact our religious workers in the future.

Increase in Application Fees

After the passage of the budget bill, USCIS and the Department of Justice have been phasing in new or higher fees for people seeking to remain in the United States because of the dangers of returning to their countries of origin.

Fees added where applications used to be free:

• Asylum
  • $100 application fee.
  • $100 fee for each year the application remains pending.
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
  • $250 application fee.
• Employment Authorization Document (EAD) for people with pending applications for asylum, parole, or TPS
  • $550 fee for first application.
  • $275 fee for renewal applications.
• Waiver for a Ground of Inadmissibility
  • $1050 fee.

Fees increased:

• Humanitarian Parole
  • Fee increased from $630 to $1000 (59% increase).
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
  • Fee increased from $50 to $500 (900% increase).
• Green Card application for someone granted asylum
  • Fee increased from $1140 to $1500 (32% increase).
• Appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals
  • Fee increased from $110 to $900 (718% increase).

The One Big Beautiful Bill not only set these fees but also made them stricter in two respects. First, where fees already existed, they could often be waived for financial hardship. The bill eliminates the waivers. Second, the fees are characterized as “minimums,” meaning that USCIS could charge more for the applications than as listed in the bill.³

Visa Integrity Fee

The provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill called the “Visa Integrity Fee” sets a minimum fee of $250 on the issuance of a non-immigrant visa. The fee may be refunded at the time the visa expires if the visa holder complied with the visa’s conditions, including either extending status or departing the U.S. on time.⁴ This fee will be increased annually in keeping with inflation.⁵ It will be charged in addition to any fees that an applicant paid when applying for the visa. In contrast to visa application fees, it will only affect applicants who end up receiving the visa. If a visa is not actually issued, the Visa Integrity Fee will not be charged.⁶

RIS will monitor the situation; please let your attorney know when you notice the Visa Integrity Fee charged for visa issuance.

I-94 Fee

The One Big Beautiful Bill institutes a fee for any foreign national “who submits an application for a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record”⁷ at land border ports of entry. Note that at this time, this does not apply to obtaining your I-94 online. Currently, I-94s can be accessed and downloaded for free at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/recent-search. The fee applies to I-94 applications at land border ports of entry and the fee, which went into effect on Sept. 30, 2025, is an increase of $24 to the existing fee of $6, for a total fee of $30. ⁸

As always, please direct any questions about fee increases or other changes in immigration policy to your attorney and his or her paralegal. RIS will keep clients informed of updates.

1 The full text of the bill is available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text
² The $250 Visa Integrity Fee: What Employers and Foreign Nationals Need to Know About the Latest Immigration Cost Increase, Greenberg Taurig, L.L.P., July 21, 2025.
³ How Does the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Affect Immigration Fees?, Global Refuge Staff, July 14, 2025.
⁴ https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text, Title X, Subtitle A, Part I, Sec. 100007(b).
⁵ The $250 Visa Integrity Fee: What Employers and Foreign Nationals Need to Know About the Latest Immigration Cost Increase, Greenberg Taurig, L.L.P., July 21, 2025.
⁶ The $250 Visa Integrity Fee: What Employers and Foreign Nationals Need to Know About the Latest Immigration Cost Increase, Greenberg Taurig, L.L.P., July 21, 2025.
⁷ https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text, Title X, Subtitle A, Part I, Sec. 100008.
⁸ https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text, Title X, Subtitle A, Part I, Sec. 100008.