I attended a USCIS teleconference yesterday and got some information about the new partial fee waiver ("Request for a reduced fee") form: I-942.
the form will be available on the USCIS website starting 12/21, and can be submitted anytime after 12/23 (but you can see a draft of it here)
this form is entirely different from the one used for requesting a full fee waiver (I-912)
the form will be reviewed by USCIS employees (not contract workers) who are experienced with the processing of fee waiver requests already
unlike the full fee waiver form (I-912) this new partial waiver request can only be used for citizenship applications
form I-942 is to be submitted with the N-400 along with payment of the reduced fee amount, which is $405; if the payment is not included, the whole application will be returned
if the applicant is over 75 years old, the reduced fee is only $320 (this is because the biometrics fee is waived for elderly applicants)
if the reduced fee request is not approved, USCIS will send the whole application and fee back with an explanation; at that point, the applicant can resubmit the application with the full fee, or resubmit with additional information to support the reduced fee request
USCIS predicts that these requests will delay processing by about five days; if the applicant hasn't gotten a response within 30 days, they can contact: lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov for help
income guidelines to tell applicants whether they qualify for the reduced fee can be found on form I-942P which will be online after 12/21
eligibility is based on GROSS income (or if you're using a tax return, AGI: "adjusted gross income")
helpful information on filing reduced fee requests will soon be online; it will include information on how to determine household size and which documents can be used to prove eligibility; it will likely look like the information now online for those who are requesting full fee waivers: https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver
Posted: to Citizenship News on Thu, Dec 8, 2016
Updated: Thu, Dec 8, 2016