USCIS Filing Fee Glossary: Waivers, Exemptions & Key Terms

July 18, 2026

Immigration paperwork comes with its own vocabulary, and fee-related terms are some of the easiest to mix up. Here’s what the words behind the USCIS fee calculator actually mean.

Base Filing Fee

The standard government fee USCIS charges to process a specific form, published in Form G-1055 (Fee Schedule). Several forms — including N-400, I-765, I-90, and I-130 — have two different base fees depending on whether you file online through a myUSCIS account or on paper by mail. See the USCIS fee calculator for the current online vs. paper split on each supported form.

Concurrent Filing

Submitting two or more related forms to USCIS at the same time instead of one after another. The clearest example is filing Form I-765 (work permit) and Form I-131 (advance parole) together with a pending Form I-485 — this unlocks the reduced $260 concurrent I-765 rate instead of the standalone $470–$520 fee. USCIS defines concurrent filing specifically as mailing the forms together with all required fees in the same package. See how to budget for a multi-form green card filing package for how this affects a real application’s total cost.

Fee Exemption

A category where USCIS does not charge a fee at all for a specific form or filing category — the fee is listed as $0 on the official fee schedule. Fee-exempt filers don’t need to submit Form I-912 or any other request; the exemption applies automatically based on the filing category. This is different from a fee waiver, which requires an approved request.

Fee Waiver (Form I-912)

A request to pay nothing for an otherwise-required USCIS fee, based on a demonstrated inability to pay. You can qualify for a fee waiver if your household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, if you (or a qualifying family member) currently receive a means-tested public benefit, or if you’re experiencing extreme financial hardship. Fee waivers cannot be used for fees created under the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, Pub. L. 119-21) — those must be paid separately even if your base filing fee is waived. See how to qualify for a USCIS fee waiver or reduced fee for the full eligibility breakdown.

Reduced Fee (Form I-942)

A discount available only on Form N-400 naturalization, for applicants whose documented household income is above the fee-waiver threshold but still under 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The reduced N-400 fee is $380 instead of the standard $710 (online) or $760 (paper). A reduced fee request requires a paper filing — you cannot combine it with online N-400 submission, and you cannot request both a reduced fee and a fee waiver on the same application.

Means-Tested Benefit

A public benefit program that considers the recipient’s income and resources when deciding eligibility — used as one of the three qualifying paths for a fee waiver. Examples include Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and SSI. Programs like Medicare, Social Security retirement, and unemployment insurance are not considered means-tested for fee-waiver purposes, since they aren’t income-based.

Biometric Services Fee

Historically a separate charge for fingerprinting and background checks, this fee has been folded directly into the base filing fee for most forms — including N-400 and I-485 — since the April 2024 USCIS fee rule. Form I-539 applicants are fully exempt from any biometric services fee as of October 2023. A handful of older or less common forms may still list biometrics separately; always check the current G-1055 schedule for the specific form you’re filing.

Asylum Program Fee

A fee added to most Form I-129 nonimmigrant worker petitions (including H-1B) under the 2024 fee rule. The standard rate is $600 for employers with more than 25 full-time-equivalent employees, a reduced $300 for small employers (25 or fewer FTE employees), and $0 for qualifying nonprofit petitioners. This fee is separate from the base I-129 filing fee and is not related to H.R. 1’s asylum-applicant fees below, despite the similar name.

HR-1 Fees (Pub. L. 119-21)

New mandatory fees created by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act specifically for asylum seekers, effective mid-2025 and adjusted for inflation each January. These include a one-time Asylum Application Filing Fee, an Annual Asylum Fee charged for every calendar year an application stays pending, and dedicated Employment Authorization Document (EAD) fees for pending-asylum applicants. Unlike the base filing fee on the same form, HR-1 fees cannot be waived through Form I-912 — they must be paid as a separate payment regardless of your income.

RFE (Request for Evidence)

A formal notice USCIS sends when an application or petition is missing required documentation or information. Responding to an RFE doesn’t carry its own government filing fee, but it can add indirect costs — additional medical exams, document translations, or attorney time — on top of the fees already listed at the USCIS fee calculator.

Ready to see how these terms combine into an actual dollar total? Use the USCIS fee calculator, or see USCIS filing fee examples for these terms applied to real filing scenarios. Fee amounts and rules shift with federal rulemaking — always confirm the current figure at uscis.gov/g-1055 before submitting payment.