Fee waivers and reduced fees
USCIS will waive many filing fees for people who cannot afford them, on Form I-912, on three grounds: receiving a means-tested benefit, household income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or financial hardship. Naturalisation applicants between 150 and 400 percent of the guidelines can instead pay a reduced $380 fee. The immigration court has its own waiver on Form EOIR-26A.
Who it is for. Anyone who cannot afford a USCIS or EOIR filing fee.
The forms, in order
- 1
Check whether the form and category are waivable at all
The G-1055 fee schedule marks which categories are eligible. The I-130, reentry permits and DACA fees are not waivable.
- 2
File Form I-912 on paper with the underlying form
For most forms you cannot request a fee waiver online - it needs a paper filing.
- 3
For naturalisation, consider the reduced fee instead
Available where documented household income is between 150 and 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
- 4
In immigration court, use the EOIR fee waiver request
Filing the request with the appeal preserves the deadline.
- 5
Pay any Public Law 119-21 fee regardless
None of these can be waived, even when the underlying USCIS fee is waived.
Where it goes wrong
- A rejected fee waiver usually means the whole filing is rejected and returned, which can blow a deadline.
- No Public Law 119-21 fee can be waived, so the poorest applicants still owe the asylum, parole, SIJ and EAD statutory fees.
- The reduced N-400 fee and the fee waiver both require paper filing, so applicants lose the $50 online discount.
- Evidence matters: a benefit award letter or a tax transcript is far stronger than a bare statement of hardship.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Public Law 119-21 created a class of non-waivable fees that sit outside the fee waiver system entirely.
- Form I-912 has a 07/22/25 edition.
- USCIS stopped accepting checks and money orders for most paper filings, so filers relying on paper payment now need Form G-1651 as well.