Understanding the Big Beautiful Bill: Immigration Software Compliance Guide

The majority of immigration law practices feel like they were turned on their heads overnight thanks to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

While many people debate the political implications of the act, immigration attorneys are navigating the operational challenges this act has just thrown their way. If your firm is still struggling to track annual recurring payments and maintain compliance with the new documentation requirements, you’re not alone.

This guide will help you understand policy basics to focus on what actually matters for your daily operations. 

What the Big Beautiful Bill changed for immigration law practices

The OBBBA introduced mandatory fees with a new structure and schedule that makes the old system look simple by comparison. If you want to maintain compliance with OBBBA requirements, your billing workflows need to handle entirely new scenarios. Manual tracking won't cut it anymore.

Below is a breakdown of the new fees and changes.

Application Type	Previous Fee	New Fee	Key Changes
Asylum application	$0	$100 (plus $100 annually while pending)	Now mandatory with no waivers available
Work authorization for asylum seekers	$0	$550 initial, $275 renewal	Previously free, now limited to 1-year validity
Temporary Protected Status	$50	$500	10x increase with no fee waivers
Immigration court motions (reopen/reconsider)	$110-145	$900	8x increase affecting appeal strategies
Humanitarian parole	$580-630	$1,000+	Higher fees with stricter waiver criteria

 

The first difference you may notice is that the numbers post-OBBBA are much higher than the original fees. But that isn’t the only change. You can also expect major logistical headaches.

Asylum seekers face annual recurring payments you'll track for years. Work authorizations must be renewed annually instead of following case timelines. And the $900 motion fees stand to change many lawyers’ case strategies entirely.

The OBBBA also has stipulations for enhanced enforcement—meaning all your case files are potential evidence in enforcement actions. So, it’s more important than ever to track and document your fees, communications, and deadlines with timestamps and audit trails. 

The pricing surges will put your clients under unprecedented financial stress on top of the pressures they were already facing. Under this act, families seeking asylum might pay over $1,000 before their first hearing. Many firms are implementing new payment plans with less complex billing structures to keep their services accessible to the families who need them. 

What the Big Beautiful Bill means for your immigration software

The new Big Beautiful Bill has shaken the foundations of immigration law. As a result, it’s also changing the functionality law firms need from their immigration software. 

Here are some of the features your software needs to handle under OBBBA:

• Fee calculations: Your system needs to make it easy to add OBBBA fee structures for each case type and bill for them when the time is right.
• Payment plan management: With families facing thousands in upfront costs, your software must handle flexible payment arrangements, partial payments, and ongoing billing.
• Comprehensive audit trails: Your system must automatically log every case activity with timestamps that prove exactly which actions were taken and when.
• Digital document storage with timestamps: Your files need bulletproof organization that shows not just what documents you have, but exactly when they were uploaded, accessed, and shared with proper security controls.
• Secure client communication logs: Every email, text message, phone call note, and WhatsApp message must be centrally stored and connected to the right case files.
• Annual payment reminders: Your system must automatically track and remind clients about recurring asylum fees.
• Court date tracking with backups: With court backlogs worse than ever, you need advanced tracking systems with multiple notification methods to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
• Work authorization renewal alerts: Since work permits are now limited to one-year validity instead of following case timelines, you’ll want a system that allows you to add renewal reminders.

If your tool doesn’t offer these features, now is the time to explore other options. The last thing you want is to damage a client’s case or face problems during audits or enforcement actions just because you don’t have the proper documentation and alert systems in place. 

Step-by-step compliance audit

One of the best ways to ensure you’re set up for success and compliance with OBBBA is to conduct a self-audit of your current processes and documentation. This process will help you catch issues yourself before they’re discovered during an external audit or cause other trouble for your firm.

1. Start with your fee management capabilities.

Open up your current system and try to calculate fees for a new asylum case. Can your software automatically handle the $100 initial fee plus set up annual $100 recurring payments for as long as the case stays pending? If you're manually calculating or tracking these in spreadsheets, that's your first red flag. 

Next, test whether your system can generate payment reminders and notices for clients. The new fee structures are complex enough that clients will need clear, timely communication about what they owe and when. 

Finally, check to make sure your system can handle fee waiver documentation for the limited situations where waivers are still available.

2. Move on to your documentation and security audit.

Log in to your system and review how client files are stored. Do you have digital storage with proper access controls that show who accessed what and when? Can you generate audit trails for all case actions? 

Remember, your secure client communication channels need to be more than just email. Look for encrypted messaging, secure document sharing, and systems that keep everything connected to the correct case file. Don't forget to verify your backup and disaster recovery systems actually work.

3. Finish with your integration and workflow review.

If you use a separate accounting software, like QuickBooks, test how your case management software integrates with your billing system. The new fee structures are too complicated for you to trust your processes to manual data entry between systems. 

Check whether your calendar system can handle the new deadline requirements, especially those annual asylum payment reminders. Finally, run a few practice management reports to see if you're getting the visibility you need into case status, fee collection, and team productivity.

If any step made you pause or think "we don't really have that," you've found areas where upgrading your software or implementing new processes will save you time and help keep you compliant in this new environment.

Related Read: Best Immigration Software for Law Firms in 2025: The Complete Comparison Guide

Troubleshooting common problems with Big Beautiful Bill immigration compliance

Immigration practices report three main headaches regarding OBBBA compliance. The good news is that each problem has a straightforward solution.

Problem: Clients are surprised by the new fee amounts. 

Nothing damages client relationships faster than unexpected costs. When clients expecting free asylum processing learn they'll pay $100 upfront plus $100 annually, conversations can get difficult. 

The solution is proactive communication. You may still have some conflict, but the sooner and more directly you communicate the impending costs to your clients, the less trouble you’ll have. 

Managing these communications manually can be time-consuming, so you may want to set up fee estimate templates for initial consultations to provide clients with upfront costs, then trigger fee notifications directly from your case management software. Provide clear fee schedules through client portals where families can see upcoming costs without calling your office.

Problem: Missing annual recurring payments. 

OBBBA created a nightmare where asylum cases have annual fees for years while they’re making their way through court backlogs. If you miss one payment, you’ll jeopardize your cases and run into compliance issues. If you’re tracking your payments manually or using simple spreadsheets, this process is likely to break under OBBBA. 

The solution is to use automated reminders in your case management solution. Configure annual payment alerts that trigger before payments are due. Set up escalating reminder sequences and, if possible, integrate your case management and client communication software with billing for automatic payment processing.

Problem: Inadequate documentation for enforcement actions. 

Enhanced enforcement means you need to be prepared for your case files to be scrutinized more thoroughly than ever before. If you can't prove when fees were collected or steps were taken, you're putting your practice and clients at risk. 

The solution is to document everything. Implement software with automatic activity logging that records every action with timestamps. Ensure all client communications are securely stored and connected to case files.

Advanced strategies for high-volume practices

The challenges of the new Big Beautiful Bill are affecting all immigration practices, large and small, but high-volume practices are some of the hardest hit. You need to manage these new fees, payment schedules, and compliance requirements across hundreds of cases. What are some strategies large practices can use to manage these changing requirements?

First and foremost, automation will be your secret weapon. When you're handling large caseloads, bulk fee calculations save hours of manual work and cut down on errors that could create compliance problems for your firm and clients.

Automated client communications are another must-have. Instead of overwhelming your staff with routine calls and emails, implement automated messaging for simple fee updates or reminders. 

Another tip is to scale your practice smartly. In other words, before you take on that additional workload, you need to ensure your firm has the infrastructure in place to handle more cases with the complex OBBBA fees and requirements.

One game-changing feature you may want to explore is multi-user permissions. These features allow you to control who in your firm can access what information, which helps you maintain security and minimize the risk of human error in your records. 

Custom workflows are another tool you might explore as your practice grows. This feature allows you to build custom processes for different case types, which helps when your large firm handles everything from asylum cases to employment-based applications. 

OBBBA compliance: Your next steps 

If compliance with the Big Beautiful Bill feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. The trick is to break it down into manageable steps. In this section, we’ll give you a step-by-step process you can follow to prepare for the new requirements. 

• This week, focus on understanding where you stand. Start by auditing your current fee tracking capabilities. Can your system handle the new asylum fees and annual payments? Review your client communication tools to see if they're ready for OBBBA fee updates and notifications. Take an honest look at your documentation and security compliance, especially your audit trail capabilities.
• Next month, it's time to plan your upgrades. Research software solutions that can handle OBBBA requirements. Set aside time and budget to train staff on the new fee structures so everyone understands the changes and how to explain them to clients. This is also where you’ll want to develop a clear client communication strategy for fee changes that helps families understand costs upfront.
• Over the next quarter, make it happen. Implement a case management solution that helps you automate the compliance work that’s now more important than ever. Set up recurring payment and reminder systems so you never miss critical annual fees or renewals. You’ll also want to establish regular compliance review processes to catch any issues before they become problems.

The practices that act quickly and systematically will find OBBBA compliance becomes routine within a few months. The key is starting now and taking it one step at a time.

The Big Beautiful Bill, immigration, and compliance

The Big Beautiful Bill has absolutely created some waves for immigration practices, but it doesn’t have to slow you down. The practices that implement self-auditing, proactive communication, and the right technology can manage these new requirements without running into trouble. 

You have a choice to make. You can treat OBBBA as another burden to manage, or you can use it as an opportunity to upgrade your practice infrastructure and serve more clients more effectively. One of the easiest ways to make your practice more effective is to invest in the right software solutions.

Immigration law is complex enough without wrestling with outdated systems that can't handle new fee structures, documentation requirements, and client communication needs. When your software automates the compliance work, your team can focus on building strong cases and supporting families through these stressful, life-changing processes. 

Ready to see how eimmigration can help your firm manage OBBBA compliance? Book a demo today.