DHS has set the fee for Form I-601A at $585 (the same as that for adjudicating a regular Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility on Form I-601). In addition, applicants under the age of 79 will need to pay the biometrics (fingerprinting) fee, $85 as of early 2013. No fee waiver requests will be considered.

The biometrics requirement means you will be fingerprinted, and your name and prints run through an FBI database to check for a criminal and immigration enforcement record. If there’s a chance this will turn up negative information, consult a lawyer before going any further. There’s no indication that DHS will use this as a way to find and arrest undocumented immigrants, however – they point out that their current enforcement priorities are geared toward removing people without close family members, or are national security risks or public safety threats.