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USCIS I-131A Application for Travel Document Fee

Before you start the payment process, eligibility.

Anyone can pay the I-131A filing fee from anywhere in the world. Whoever pays the fee must use a credit or debit card or U.S. bank account.

The current filing fee is $575.00

You must submit your filing fee before going to a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate to file your Form I-131A. You must bring evidence of payment with you when you appear in person at your nearest U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate to file Form I-131A.

Refund Policy

USCIS does not refund fees, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition or request, or how long USCIS takes to reach a decision.

By continuing this transaction, you acknowledge that you must submit fees in the exact amount and that you are paying the fees for a government service.

Please refer to the instructions for the form(s) you are filing for additional information or you may call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283. For TTY (deaf or hard of hearing) 800-767-1833.

Information You May Need

To pay the fee, you will need the correct first and last names, date of birth, and A-Number as they appear on the lawful permanent resident's (LPR's) Green Card or Reentry Permit.

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What is a Refugee Travel Document?

Home » What is a Refugee Travel Document?

July 5, 2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues Refugee Travel Documents to persons with refugee or asylum status (and in some cases to lawful permanent residents who obtained their permanent residence through refugee or asylum status).

Who Needs a Refugee Travel Document

You must have a Refugee Travel Document to return to the United States if you:

• Have refugee or asylum status but are not a lawful permanent resident (green card holder); or
• Are a derivative asylee or refugee.

If you do not obtain a travel document before you leave the U.S., you may be unable to re-enter the United States or you may be placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge.

Lawful permanent residents who obtained their status through refugee or asylum status may also apply for a travel document. Although permanent residents can generally enter the United States with the green card (after an absence of less than one year), a travel document may be needed to enter other countries. In this way, the travel document is much like a passport.

An asylum “applicant” cannot obtain a Refugee Travel Document. Instead, asylum applicants may apply for an Advance Parole Document . Advance Parole allows certain aliens to return to the United States without a visa after traveling abroad.

Form I-131, Application for Travel Document

To apply for a Refugee Travel Document, file Form I-131, Application for Travel Document . You should file a Form I-131 before you leave the United States and expect processing times of approximately three months. However, it may take longer. Expedited processing may be available for your situation.

Should you need to leave the United States before USCIS grants the travel document or you want to apply outside the United States, please consult with an immigration attorney .

Mistakes on your Form I-131 can cause costly delays or a denial.

Period of validity.

A Refugee Travel Document is valid for up to one year. During this time you can use the document multiple times.

USCIS will not renew your travel document. Instead, you’ll need to apply for a new one with Form I-131, Application for Travel Document.

Traveling to the Country of Persecution

Traveling back to the country where you experienced past persecution or claim a fear of future persecution is highly discouraged.

RECOMMENDED: Dangers of Refugee/Asylee Travel to Home Country

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Select your form, form category, and the office that is processing your case

Refer to your receipt notice to find your form, category, and office. For more information about case processing times and reading your receipt notice, visit the More Information About Case Processing Times page.

In general, USCIS will first process Form I-526 petitions for investors for whom a visa is available or soon to be available. Processing times for Form I-526 are typically based on an analysis of the completed cases for the prior month.

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When can I ask about my case?

Many routine factors impact how quickly a case is processed. We only allow inquiries for cases that are well outside the processing time listed above.

Learn more about the Case Inquiry Date . Enter your receipt date below to find out if you can contact us with questions.

This selection cannot be a future date.

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Notice of FY 2025 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Selection Process Completion and Cap Season Reminders

H-1B Initial Electronic Registration Selection Process Completed

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough electronic registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). We have randomly selected enough properly submitted registrations for unique beneficiaries projected as needed to reach the H-1B cap and have notified all prospective petitioners with selected beneficiaries that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for such beneficiaries.

Registrants’ online accounts will now show one of the following statuses for each registration (that is, for each beneficiary registered):

• Submitted:  The registration has been submitted and is eligible for selection. If the initial selection process has been completed, this registration remains eligible, unless subsequently invalidated, for selection in any subsequent selections for the fiscal year for which it was submitted.
• Selected:  Selected to file an H-1B cap petition.
• Not Selected: Not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.
• Denied – duplicate registration:  Multiple registrations were submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for the same beneficiary. If denied as a duplicate registration, all registrations submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for this beneficiary for the fiscal year are invalid.
• Invalidated – failed payment: A registration was submitted but the payment method was declined, not reconciled, or otherwise invalid.
• Deleted: The submitted registration has been deleted and is no longer eligible for selection.
• Processing submission:  USCIS is processing your submission. It may take up to 72 hours for all of your case information to show on the case details page. While it is processing, you will be unable to access your draft.

For more information, visit the  H-1B Electronic Registration Process  page.

FY 2025 H-1B Cap Petitions May Be Filed Starting April 1

H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2025, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, may be filed with USCIS beginning April 1, 2024, if filed for a selected beneficiary and based on a valid registration.

Only petitioners with registrations for selected beneficiaries may file H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2025.

An H-1B cap-subject petition must be properly filed at the correct  filing location (see H-1B Form I-129 Filing Location Change to Lockbox section below)   or online at  my.uscis.gov and within the filing period indicated on the relevant selection notice. The period for filing the H-1B cap-subject petition will be at least 90 days. Petitioners must include a copy of the applicable selection notice with the FY 2025 H-1B cap-subject petition.

Petitioners must also submit evidence of the beneficiary’s valid passport or travel document used at the time of registration to identify the beneficiary.

Petitioners filing for selected beneficiaries based on their valid registration must still submit evidence or otherwise establish eligibility for petition approval, as registration and selection only pertains to eligibility to file the H-1B cap-subject petition.

For more information, visit the  H-1B Cap Season  page.

New Fees and Form Edition

On Jan. 31, 2024, USCIS published a  final rule   that adjusts the fees required for most immigration applications and petitions. The new fees are effective April 1, 2024. Petitions postmarked on or after April 1, 2024 , must include the new fees or we will not accept them. Additionally, there will be a new 04/01/24 edition of  Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker . There will be  no grace period  for filing the new version of Form I-129 because it must include the new fee calculation.

What to Know About Sending Us Your Form I-129.

• We will accept the 05/31/23 edition of this form if it is postmarked  before  April 1, 2024;
• We will not accept the 05/31/23 edition of this form if it is postmarked  on  or  after  April 1, 2024; and
• We will only accept the 04/01/24 edition of this form if it is postmarked  on  or  after  April 1, 2024.

We will use the  postmark date  of a filing to determine which form version and fees are correct but will use the  received date  for purposes of any regulatory or statutory filing deadlines.

As a reminder, we recently  announced  a  final premium processing fee rule  that increased the filing fee for  Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service , to adjust for inflation, effective Feb. 26, 2024. If we receive a Form I-907 postmarked on or after Feb. 26, 2024, with the incorrect filing fee, we will reject the Form I-907 and return the filing fee. For filings sent by commercial courier (such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL), the postmark date is the date on the courier receipt.

Online Filing and Organizational Accounts

On Feb. 28, 2024, we launched new online organizational accounts that allow multiple people within an organization and their legal representatives to collaborate on and prepare H-1B registrations, H-1B petitions, and any associated Form I-907. Information on organizational accounts is available on the  Organizational Accounts Frequently Asked Questions page.

We also launched online filing of Form I-129 and associated Form I-907 for non-cap H-1B petitions on March 25. On April 1, we will begin accepting online filing for H-1B cap petitions and associated Forms I-907 for petitioners whose registrations have been selected.

Petitioners will continue to have the option of filing a paper Form I-129 H-1B petition and any associated Form I-907 if they prefer. However, during the initial launch of organizational accounts, users will not be able to link paper-filed Forms I-129 and I-907 to their online accounts.

H-1B Form I-129 Filing Location Change to Lockbox

Starting April 1, 2024, H-1B and H-1B1 (HSC) Form I-129 petitions are no longer filed directly with the USCIS service centers. All paper-based H-1B and H-1B1 (HSC) Form I-129 petitions are now filed at USCIS lockbox locations. This includes cap, non-cap, and cap-exempt H-1B filings.

We will reject H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions received at a USCIS service center on or after April 1, 2024. There will be  no grace period  provided.

USCIS has specific mailing addresses for cases that are subject to the H-1B cap. To determine the correct mailing address, please see our  Form I-129 Direct Filing Addresses  page.

If a petition is filed at the wrong location, we may reject the petition. Rejected petitions will not retain a filing date. If we reject a petition because it was filed at the wrong location, it may be refiled at the correct location, or online. H-1B cap subject petitions may be refiled at the correct location, or online, as long as the petition is refiled during the designated 90-day filing window listed on the selection notice.

No More Pre-paid Mailers

As of March 25, 2024, we are no longer using prepaid mailers to send out any communication or final notices for any H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions. With H-1B intake now occurring at the lockbox or online, we will not be able to use any prepaid mailers for H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) filings.

The process of printing and mailing H-1B petition approval notices by first-class mail is fully automated. For petitions filed online, myUSCIS account holders will also receive an email or text message notification in their myUSCIS account when there is a case status change on a case in their account, followed by a paper notice by mail.

Receipt Notice Delays

When we receive a timely and properly filed H-1B cap subject petition, the petitioner (and, if applicable, the petitioner’s legal representative) will be provided a Form I-797, Notice of Action, communicating receipt of the petition. Due to increased filing volumes typically seen during H-1B cap filing periods, there are instances where a paper petition is timely and properly filed by mail, but issuance of the Form I-797 is delayed. If you are a petitioner and have confirmation from the delivery service that the petition was delivered, but you have not yet received a Form I-797 confirming receipt of the petition, you should not submit a second petition. If you have confirmation from the delivery service that the petition was delivered and you then submit a second H-1B cap petition for the same beneficiary, you will be considered to have submitted multiple H-1B cap petitions. This will result in denial or revocation of both petitions.

If more than 30 days have passed since the confirmation of delivery and you have still not received a Form I-797, you may contact the  USCIS Contact Center  for assistance.

If you receive notification from the delivery service, or your tracking information suggests that there may be a delay or damage to the package or that the package was misrouted, you should follow the Delivery Service Error Guidance on the  H-1B Cap Season  webpage.