A New Chapter in EB1A & EB2 NIW Visa Fee Payments: Modernizing the Way You Pay

Once upon a time, applicants filing for employment-based green cards such as EB-1A or EB-2 NIW filled out their I-140 petitions and paid the filing fee by enclosing a paper check or a money order. The envelope traveled through the postal system; the check was manually removed, processed, scanned, and deposited. For many applicants and petitioners, this approach meant waiting, worrying about lost mail, and hoping the payment arrived in time and cleared without glitch.

In 2025, USCIS decided to turn the page and usher in a modern era of payments. On August 29, 2025, the agency announced it would phase out checks and money orders, and instead accept electronic payments from U.S. bank accounts (ACH debit) or by credit/debit cards (https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-to-modernize-fee-payments-with-electronic-funds?). The official policy manual update confirmed that effective October 28, 2025, paper-based instruments would no longer be accepted for most immigration benefit filings (https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees).

What this means for EB-1A and EB-2 NIW petitioners is simple yet critical: when you file your I-140, you must now use Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Debit) or Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions). No more checks. No more money orders. The change is designed to speed up processing times, reduce lost payments, minimize fraud, and make the payment step more reliable.

For you as a petitioner or applicant, this shift is a welcome opportunity. It means:

·        your payment posts instantly rather than waiting days in transit;

·        the risk of a misplaced or delayed envelope is eliminated;

·        you get an electronic trail of authorization;

·        you align with the U.S. government’s wider aim of modernizing payments (see Executive Order 14247: Modernizing Payments to and from America’s Bank Account).

As you prepare your EB-1A or EB-2 NIW filing, be sure to confirm you have (1) a U.S. bank account with sufficient funds if using ACH, or (2) a valid credit/debit card if using Form G-1450. If you fail to submit the correct payment method, USCIS may reject the filing.

In summary: the era of checks and money orders is ending for employment-based visa filings. The future is electronic, which is safe, efficient, trackable, and aligned with national innovation in immigration processing. Welcome to the next chapter of your green-card journey.