USCIS Introduces First-Ever Fee Waiver Form

[ZIRC]

WASHINGTON—For the first time, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is introducing a standardized form for requesting waivers of the fees
charged for immigration-benefit processing. Form I-912, Request for Fee
Waiver, will become available for use on Nov. 23, 2010 – the same day
USCIS’s latest fee schedule takes effect.

“Our goal is to bring clarity and consistency to immigration-benefit services,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas.  “The development of the new fee waiver
form reflects our commitment to making improvements through extensive
collaboration with the public.”

The fee waiver form reflects significant input from stakeholders, community-based organizations, and the general public. In stakeholder meetings, USCIS heard concerns that
the absence of a standardized form led to confusion about the criteria
and standards used to approve waivers. In July, USCIS published and
sought comments on a proposed form through the Federal Register,
generating input from numerous interested parties. Comments reflected
applicants’ past experiences in requesting fee waivers and recommended
changes to the proposed form and instructions to make them easier to
understand for non-native English speakers.

The new form identifies clear requirements for documenting a fee waiver request. The form’s instructions also give information on the methodology that USCIS
uses to evaluate the requests. For example, if an applicant can show
that he or she is receiving a means-tested benefit and presents evidence
to document that claim, then there is no requirement to submit further
evidence. USCIS will use the same methodology in reviewing all fee
waiver requests, whether submitted on the new Form I-912 or in a written
statement generated by the applicant.

USCIS announced today that it is also now seeking feedback on a new guidance memorandum documenting the agency’s consolidated policy for reviewing fee waiver requests.
Stakeholders and the general public are encouraged to visit www.uscis.gov/outreach to review the new memorandum and offer their input.

USCIS’s latest fee rule, which takes effect Nov. 23, 2010, expands the availability of fee waivers to several new categories. The final rule
also increases fees by a weighted average of about 10 percent, but does
not increase the fee on naturalization applications.