Several new USCIS fees were introduced as part of President Trump’s July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act,   Public Law 119-21 , 139 Stat. 72 (“HR-1”). One of these new fees was the Annual Asylum Fee or “AAF.” This is a $100 fee that an asylum applicant must pay when filing a new Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, postmarked on or after July 22, 2025. That $100 fee is also due each calendar year that a Form I-589 filed after October 1, 2024 rema

Overseas Employment Certificates (“OEC”) are generally required for Filipinos who have or will be entering into active employment abroad and are not yet permanent residents of the country where they will be working. This means all Filipino H-1B employees must obtain an OEC and the employer should account for the extra time. What is an OEC? Also known as an exit clearance, this document is issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (“POEA”) to Filipino workers

On August 29, 2025, USCIS announced two significant changes to its fee payment methods . Read below for those important details.   ACH Transaction   USCIS will now accept electronic debit from a U.S. bank account to pay filing fees. ACH stands for “Automatic Clearing House.” It’s a method of paying directly using bank account information. To pay by ACH transaction, complete the new  Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions . The payer can choose to pay via checking or

This FAQ previously posted in late September has been revised based on new information issued by USCIS on October 20, 2025. The revised information is in red and any information that is no longer applicable has been struck through.   When does this proclamation take effect? The proclamation took effect on 12:01 a.m. EST on September 21, 2025.     Does the proclamation have an expiration date? The proclamation is set to expire on September 21, 2026.   What does the proclamatio