USCIS Electronic Payment Mandate Effective Oct 28, 2025

If you’ve ever mailed a check to USCIS, you’re about to see a major change. Starting October 28, 2025, the agency will no longer accept paper checks or money orders for any paper-filed form. That means everyone — from individual applicants to major law firms — needs to switch to electronic payments, a shift that could speed up processing but also raises questions for those without bank accounts.

Mandate effective date: October 28, 2025 ·
Accepted payment methods: Credit/debit card, ACH debit ·
Form for credit card: G-1450 ·
Form for ACH: G-1650 ·
Immigrant fee amount: $220 ·
Premium processing fee increase date: March 1, 2026

Six key details from the mandate, one pattern: every paper-filed form now requires an electronic payment — a clean break from decades of paper checks.

Is USCIS Now Requiring All Applicants to Pay Filing Fees Electronically?

What prompted the electronic payment mandate?

• USCIS announced the switch on August 29, 2025, citing the need to modernize fee collection and reduce fraud and mail delays (Ogletree Deakins).
• The agency had been moving toward a digital-first approach; this mandate brings paper-filed forms in line with e-filed forms that already require electronic payment.

Which forms are affected?

• The policy applies to all paper-filed applications, petitions, and requests submitted to USCIS (MIT ISO).
• Forms filed online continue to accept payment through the USCIS portal (David Walters Law).

The implication: applicants must choose a payment method before mailing their package to avoid rejection.

What Is the USCIS Electronic Payment Form?

Form G-1450: Authorization for Credit Card Transactions

• Form G-1450 authorizes USCIS to charge a credit or debit card for filing fees (VisaLawyerBlog).
• According to Ogletree Deakins, applicants without a U.S. bank account may use prepaid credit cards, though this has not been confirmed by USCIS directly.

Form G-1650: Authorization for ACH Transactions

• Form G-1650 allows payment via ACH debit from a U.S. bank account (Ogletree Deakins).
• Payments must be drawn from a U.S. bank and made in U.S. currency, as noted by multiple immigration law firms.

What this means: the choice between forms often depends on whether the applicant has a U.S. bank account or prefers a credit card.

How Do I Send a Payment to USCIS?

Paying online vs. by mail

• For paper filings, you must include the completed payment authorization form (G-1450 or G-1650) with your application package, according to AILA.
• Online filers pay directly through the USCIS portal using a credit/debit card or ACH without extra forms.

Steps to complete Form G-1450 or G-1650

• Fill in applicant information, payment amount, and account details on the appropriate form.
• Attach the form to the paper application; USCIS will process the payment upon receipt.
• If the payment is declined, the filing may be rejected (VisaLawyerBlog).

The catch: a simple data entry error can derail an application, so double-checking account details is critical.

When to Pay $220 Immigrant Fee and Who Needs to Pay It?

Who must pay the $220 immigrant fee?

• Most green card applicants must pay a $220 immigrant fee after their visa is approved (MIT ISO).
• The fee covers the cost of producing the physical green card.

When is the fee due?

• Payment is required after the immigrant visa is issued and before USCIS will produce the card.
• It can be paid online or by mail using Form G-1450 or G-1650 now that checks are no longer accepted.

This timeline means new immigrants must have a payment method ready soon after visa approval.

Will USCIS Increase Fees in 2026?

Premium processing fee increase effective March 1, 2026

• USCIS announced a premium processing fee increase starting March 1, 2026, according to AILA.
• The exact new amount has not been detailed but is expected to raise the cost of expedited adjudication.

Other potential fee adjustments

• The $100,000 H-1B fee and the $5,000 fee for certain immigrant categories are separate statutory fees and remain unchanged under the current mandate.
• Future across-the-board fee increases are possible but not confirmed.

The pattern: separate statutory fees persist, but the electronic payment system will apply to all future fee payments.

The mandate forces a digital shift, but its success hinges on how well USCIS handles the transition for the most vulnerable filers. For immigrants who don’t own a U.S. bank account or credit card, the choice is clear: find a prepaid card or authorized third-party payer, or risk having their application returned.

For applicants without clear access to electronic payment, the mandate represents a significant hurdle — one that may require creative solutions like using a third-party payer.