[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Rules and Regulations]
 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule
 
AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS.
 
ACTION: Final rule.
 
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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is adjusting the fee
schedule for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS
conducted a comprehensive fee study, refined its cost accounting
process, and determined that current fees do not recover the full costs
of services provided. DHS has found that adjustment to the fee schedule
is necessary to fully recover costs and maintain adequate service. In
response to comments, several adjustments were made to the proposed
rule published on June 11, 2010.
    In this final rule, DHS: increases the fees by a weighted average
of 10 percent; establishes three new fees covering USCIS costs related
to processing the Regional Center Designation under the Immigrant
Investor Pilot Program, Civil Surgeon Designation, and DHS Processing
of Immigrant Visa requests; and adjusts the premium processing service
fee by the percentage increase in inflation according to the Consumer
Price Index--Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published as of July 2010. This
rule also finalizes the interim rule that established the premium
processing service and fees.
 
DATES: This rule is effective November 23, 2010. Applications or
petitions mailed, postmarked, or otherwise filed on or after November
23, 2010 must include the new fee.