I-912, Request for Fee Waiver

Alert: On Sept. 29, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Immigration Legal Resource Center et al., v. Wolf, et al., 20-cv-05883-JWS, preliminarily enjoined DHS from implementing or enforcing any part of the USCIS Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements rule.

While the rule is preliminarily enjoined, we will continue to:

  • Accept USCIS forms with the current editions and current fees; and
  • Use the regulations and guidance currently in place to adjudicate applications and petitions. This includes accepting and adjudicating fee waiver requests as provided under Adjudicator's Field Manual (AFM) Chapters 10.9 (PDF, 2.87 MB) and 10.10 (PDF, 2.87 MB).

Alert: On Sept. 11, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a decision that allows DHS to resume implementing the Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility final rule nationwide, including in New York, Connecticut and Vermont. The decision stays the July 29, 2020, injunction, issued during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, that prevented DHS from enforcing the public charge final rule during a national health emergency.

Therefore, we will apply the public charge final rule and related guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volumes 2, 8 and 12, to all applications and petitions postmarked (or submitted electronically) on or after Feb. 24, 2020. If you send your application or petition by commercial courier (for example, UPS, FedEx, or DHL), we will use the date on the courier receipt as the postmark date.

For information about the relevant court decisions, please see the public charge injunction webpage.

Use this form to request a fee waiver (or submit a written request) for certain immigration forms and services based on a demonstrated inability to pay. For the list of forms and services that are eligible for a fee waiver, see the list below, go to uscis.gov/feewaiver, or read 8 CFR 103.7(c)(3).

Forms and Document Downloads

Form Details

Edition Date

10/15/19. We will also accept prior editions (or a written request). You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.

Where to File

To file your completed Form I-912, attach it and all supporting documentation to the application or petition for which you are requesting a fee waiver. For example, if you are requesting a fee waiver for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, you must mail the Form N-400, Form I-912, and supporting documentation to the address listed in the Form N-400 Instructions.

Do not submit your Form I-912 without a completed application or petition. You cannot submit Form I-912 after we have received the application or petition for which you are requesting the fee waiver. For example, if you are requesting a fee waiver for Form N-400, you cannot submit Form I-912 after we receive your Form N-400.

You cannot file online if you are requesting a fee waiver. You must file paper versions of the Form I-912 and the form for which you are requesting a fee waiver.

Special Instructions
  • The Form I-912 must be signed. USCIS will reject the Form I-912 if it is not signed either by you or an eligible representative if you are under 14 years of age or mentally incompetent.
  • If you submit documentation containing information in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation. The translator must sign a certification that the English language translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
  • Please read our Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver page.
  • Please read our Tips for Filing Forms with USCIS page.

Listing of Forms Eligible for Fee Waiver

Below is a list of applications and petitions USCIS will consider for a fee waiver and the conditions that you must meet to be eligible for a fee waiver. Under current fee waiver regulations, USCIS may only approve fee waivers for certain forms or certain types of requests on a form.

You may file Form I-912 to request a fee waiver for any of the following benefit requests or services:

  • Biometric services fee, except for the biometric services fee required for Form I-601A, Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver, filed under 8 CFR 212.7(e);
  • Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card;
  • Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, but only if you are applying for E-2 CNMI investor nonimmigrant status under 8 CFR 214.2(e)(23);
  • Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, but only if you are applying for humanitarian parole;
  • Form I-191, Application for Advance Permission to Return to Unrelinquished Domicile;
  • Form I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant, but only if you are exempt from the public charge grounds of inadmissibility;
  • Form I-193, Application for Waiver for Passport and/or Visa, but only if you are exempt from the public charge grounds of inadmissibility;
  • Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, but only if your underlying application was fee exempt, the fee was waived, or it was eligible for a fee waiver;
  • Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, but only if you are applying for lawful permanent resident status based on:
    • An eligibility category that is exempt from the public charge grounds of inadmissibility of section 212(a)(4) of the INA, such as the Cuban Adjustment Act, the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act;
    • Continuous residence in the United States since before Jan. 1, 1972 (“Registry”);
    • Asylum status; or
    • Special Immigrant Juvenile status or similar categories;
  • Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, but only if you are applying for any benefit request specified by section 245(l)(7) of the INA or applying for E-2 CNMI investor nonimmigrant status under 8 CFR 214.2(e)(23);
  • Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, but only if you are exempt from the public charge grounds of inadmissibility in section 212(a)(4) of the INA;
  • Form I-694, Notice of Appeal of Decision Under Sections 245A or 210 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, if your underlying application or petition was fee exempt, the fee was waived, or was eligible for a fee waiver;
  • Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence;
  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, unless you are filing under category (c)(33), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals;
  • Form I-817, Application for Family Unity Benefits;
  • Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status;
  • Form I-881, Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal;
  • Form N-300, Application to File Declaration of Intention;
  • Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings;
  • Form N-400, Application for Naturalization;
  • Form N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes;
  • Form N-565, Application for Replacement of Naturalization/Citizenship Document;
  • Form N-600, Application for Certification of Citizenship; and
  • Form N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate under Section 322.

You may also apply for a fee waiver for any application or petition that is related to your status as a:

  • Battered spouse of an A, G, E-3, or H nonimmigrant (such as Forms I-485, I-601, and I-212);
  • Battered spouse or child of a lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen under INA 240A(b)(2);
  • T nonimmigrant (such as Forms I-192, I-485, and I-601);
  • Temporary Protected Status recipient (such as Forms I-131, I-821, and I-601);
  • U nonimmigrant (such as Forms I-192, I-485, and I-929); or
  • VAWA self-petitioner (such as Forms I-485, I-601, and I-212).

You may not file Form I-912 if you are requesting consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). There are no fee waivers for DACA. Fee exemptions will be available in limited circumstances. See the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals fee exemption webpage for more details.

You do not need to file Form I-912 for applications and petitions that do not require a filing fee. Other USCIS applications and petitions have fee exemption requirements for certain types of benefit requestors. In most cases, the USCIS form and instructions outline the fee exemption and submission requirements if a separate Form I-912 is not required. If your form is not listed in the Forms Eligible for Fee Waiver section, please see the specific form instructions for additional information or visit the USCIS Contact Center webpage to get answers to your questions and connect with a live USCIS representative.

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