I mailed my I-751 form in on 12/20/06 with a money order for $275. I just received a rejection letter because "It was filed with incorrect fee. The correct fee is $205." What the hell is this about? The USCIS website AND the instructions on the I-751 form specifically say the fee is $275. Has anybody else had this happen? What should I do? Thanks!

kirts,

Quite a few people have had it happen - yours is not the first such post on the subject.

What you should do is send back the correct fee of $205 for the application processing fee. As yet there is no biometrics fee associated with I-751, despite what the web site and form instructions say.

If it makes you feel more comfortable, include a separate $70 check for the biometrics fee.

Yodrak

Ok, thanks Yodrak. What about the pictures then? The new form says no pictures. Should I send some anyway?

kirts,

I have no thoughts on that one. Read some of the other threads and decide based on what some others have reported.

(OK, one thought - the so-called 'biometrics' that will be done is the same as for I-765. You'll be sent to an ASC for a photo and fingerprint that will be used to manufacture your new Green Card. There's no fee for that procedure, same as there's no fee when it's done for the EA card.)

Yodrak

Would it even be worth my time to contact USCIS and ask them what to do about this?

Wow, the incompetence and inefficiency of this system never ceases to amaze me. It the USCIS was turned into a private company, I have no doubt it would collapse within 5 minutes. I guess I will be seeing my package returned soon as well, I guess we were supposed to follow some unwritten directions. Gotta love this process, my payment for guaranteed mail delivery will be wasted too.
I have seen someone from the CSC post this same result and you sent yours to the VSC. Let’s see if the NSC does the same.

Marilyn and Peter.

Before I filed mine, We went to our local office, to make sure everything is right.

Major pain in the butt!!

I guess mine will be return too, I also sent $275 on 12/19/2006. Nothing yet, though...

Geez...maybe this will be straightened out by May when we send ours in.

I doubt it... By then they'll probably raise the fees again without telling their Service Center staff.

Well, for what it's worth, I called the USCIS hotline and the guy says he double checked (oooo, double checked!) and the fee is $205 regardless of what the form says. He also said NOT to send any passport pictures. I'm sending them anyway.

This is unbelievable! Now the pictures... Anyway, I think if they return my package, I'll include them.

All,

On the other hand, I saw my first post today where someone seems to think their I-751 was returned for wrong fee having submitted $205.
"As a point of interest relating to current discussions on I-751 and the new fee change.
Mailed I-751 dec 12th they received it dec14th had sent $205 because that's what the website said. Yesterday it was returned. Blue sheet said basicly it was because of the check but indicated every reason possible. The first paragraph said it "could" be because the fee was wrong, or the number amount did not match the written amount, or it was not signed. The next paragraph said that it was because the check had been changed and we were to either initial the change or send a new check for $205.
Since none of the above was true, except for the fact that the amount was not what the current website claimed, I typed a new check for $275 and sent the whole mess back today. Hope that works."

I continue to think that $205 is the correct fee, that there is no fee associated with the simple photo and fingerprint appointment that is required to manufacture the card, and that whoever updated the form instructions and web site either jumped the gun on something that is yet to be implemented or is outright wrong.

Yodrak

My take, pedantic, yes, is that the petition fee is $205.00, and the biometrics fee $70.00.
Yodrak, why would you think that the card is processed gratis?

I don't think you quite grasp the number of people who are involved in the change to a form in the federal government.

I agree this is a giant ######-up, but you can't exactly "accidentally" change a form. Changes have to be proposed by a committee, approved by another committee, offered for public comment, sent to printing for a proof, sent back for approval by another committee, etc. No one could do all of that in error. (Now, the website is a different story.)

I suspect it may be a case of a change being voted for, then while the new forms were being processed, someone changed their mind. So the forms reflect a prior decision that has been overruled by a new one.

sparkofcreation,

Who are you quoting? I did not say that this is an accident.....

I am well aware of what is required to change a form, and that is basis of my opinion that there has in fact been no change. Note that
- it is the instructions, not the form, that has been changed
- there has been nothing published in the Federal Register, no public comment period for instituting a biometrics fee.

I agree, more than a few people were either not paying attention or were mis-informed for this error to have been made.

Yodrak

I am suprised that there is no new announcement about this change to both the instructions and the USCIS website itself.
The fact that pictures are no longer required (again in the instructions) seems to support that biometrics will be required. So I would also imagine that we will have to pay for it.
This reminds me of the IMBRA mess, bill signed into law with a effective date and somehow it just slipped everyone's mind that some additional requirments would have to be met. Opps, sorry about that. If something similar happened where I worked, the entire responsible orginization would be escorted out the door.

Marilyn and Peter.

Marilyn and Peter,

It's the lack of any announcement that make the 'new fee' suspicious.

Beyond that, there's biometrics and then there's 'biometrics'. The biometrics that is expensive, and so there is a $70 fee for it, is the photo and 10 fingerprints that is transmitted to the FBI for security checks as part of the adjustment process, which also goes into a data storage and retrieval system.

Then there's the simple photo and index fingerprint used to make ID cards, such as the EAD and the Green Card, that we also call 'biometrics'. No charge for that, and there shouldn't be. In fact, taking taking the photo and index fingerprint for the cards is not supposed to be necessary. They're supposed to be able to retrieve the information from the biometrics storage and retrieval system that you already paid $70 for. Except that the retrieval part doesn't function yet, so everytime they need to make a new card you need to go to an ASC for a new photo and index fingerprint.

Yodrak

Yodrak,

While the distinction between the two may indeed be true, using your analysis, I wonder why the need for the $70.00 'biometrics' fee would be necessary in the renewal or replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged green card? Would youi suggest that this additional fee is a generic request for $70.00 to cover applicants that don't necesarily acquire a GC through the process of adjustment?

diadromous mermaid,

Good point. And remember when they were briefly charging the $70 for a replacement Green Card even when the reason for replacement was an incorrect card due to USCIS error?

It's been a few days, I guess it's time to reiterate that I'm speculating, searching for reasons that are consistent with the anecdotal evidence available to date.
It will be interesting to see how this situation resolves itself.

Yodrak

Well I just called the USCIS toll free number and the automated system says the fee is $ 275.

fees are accessible at 1-800-375-5283 sub menu enter 1 then 2 then 3 then 1 then your zipcode then 1 then 4751#

And just called a real human being at the same number and got the same answer $ 275

It seems odd that they would charge the same biometric fee for both AOS and ROC. The AOS fee makes sense because of the fingerprints for background check. ROC, it's just a simple photo and index print.

For what's worth - after having the first app with $275 bounced I sent it in again w/205 AND the two photos. They cashed the check. I don't know what they did with the pix.
Bob

I just did the same yesterday. Sent a check for $205 with the pics along with the rejection letter they sent. We'll see what happens.

What do folks think about sending two checks, $205 for the petition and $70 for
BIO metrics?

That's the suggested way to go until it is resolved one way or another.\

Marilyn and Peter.

My money order for $275 was ACCEPTED.

I got a letter from USCIS today. I was hoping it was an NOA. It was a "Individual Fee Register Receipt". It is a carbon copy receipt like you would get at a diner. It has our EAC #, Name, Date, ETC. All handwritten.

So, my timeline:

12/21 - Mailed Overnight
12/22 - Recieved
12/26 - Individual Fee Register Receipt issued
1/2 - Individual Fee Register Receipt mailed
1/4 - Individual Fee Register Receipt received

I think we may have my wife start working next week. I mean, we have proof we filed, our check is cashed, and I have ann EAC #. Weare perfectly legal at this point even though the GC is expired.

Good! I'm happy for you guys.
By the way, what is the EAC#?

I noticed THEY your lost 864, a travisty for anyone! ( I post this for all )

After reading many very good , uscis walk thru's written by a lawyer's and others,
I have this advice:

when you send in the info , do it using the 2 hole federal binding way. ( officedepot.com)
this prevents loss of papers.

second.
one each page put our GreenCard (GC , for newbees) A# (alien number on the top right corner of each document.
then whey they drop the papers on the floor , the can identify them.
imagane chaos and you are there.

for other people , at diffent steps , use your newest assigned number
case number , or CSC# ,
on every cover letter , you have all numbers, always, that why they can never get confused. (no excuses)

up to receiving our GC , the our last docs had our Case# on "EVERYTHING". ( photos on the back)
including all checks , always send two checks if there are two fees.
never combine checks , never. ( think about that , how could they subract an amount from a check, bingo )

always , go the the web site (not here) of question , and check the fees , just before sending something in.
if you are really paranoid call them and ask. we were paranoid.
I hope everyone finds and has love blossom, it has for us , (2years now) and it was all worth it in retrospec,

retrospective:
but every one is correct, ins,uscis,HLS,et al. , < are all crazy as loons, Tell me, do you feel safer? sorry for politics

Everyone Break a Leg !

UPDATE: On Jan 23 we received the letter extending my wife's conditional residency for one year. We also received the biometrics appt. letter in a seperate mailing, but they both arrived on the same day. So it looks like they accepted the new check I sent for $205. FYI, her biometrics appointment is scheduled for Thursday, Feb 1. Guess they don't give you much of a notice. That's less than 2 weeks from when we received the notice, so keep your schedules clear once you mail out your I-751.

We've been through the same thing. We mailed my wife's I-751 on Dec. 16th w/the $205 filing fee and photo ID. Check was cashed and we received our NOA extending her permenant residence status for one year on Jan. 9th, the next day we received the Biometrics Appointment notice and she was scheduled for Jan. 22nd. We have since been to her appointment which took all of 20 minutes (5 minutes wait time, 15 minutes processing time) and her Appointment notice was stamped and initialed by the USCIS worker. Now we wait until we receive further contact/instructions. I was nervous that they may request the additional $70 fee so i brough the checkbook with us to her appointment but there was no request on either the NOA or her Appointment notice and they processed her without asking for any additional fee and I assume they would not have processed her at all without receiving additional money if required.