Alert: Higher USCIS Fees Effective January 1, 2026

Last updated on 8 minutes ago

Washington (VisasAndTravels) — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed modest inflationary adjustments to certain immigration-related fees introduced under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR-1), with the updated amounts taking effect for all benefit requests postmarked on or after January 1, 2026.

The adjustments, based on a 2.7% rise in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from July 2024 to July 2025, represent the first annual inflation update mandated by HR-1 legislation. Fees are rounded to the nearest lower $10 increment, resulting in increases of $5–$20 for most affected forms.

Key Fee Changes for FY 2026

Form I-765 (Employment Authorization Document – EAD) for asylum applicants, TPS beneficiaries, and parolees: Increases from current HR-1 levels (typically $10–$20 hike depending on category).
Form I-131 (Advance Parole/Travel Document) for parolees and certain humanitarian categories: Up $20 in many cases.
Form I-589 (Application for Asylum) related fees (if applicable): Adjusted upward where required.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) initial and re-registration: Modest increases (e.g., $10–$20).
Parole processing fee: From $1,000 to $1,020 (confirmed increase).
Some categories remain unchanged if the inflation calculation does not trigger a rounded adjustment.

Full updated fee table available in the Federal Register notice published November 21, 2025.

USCIS emphasized that any application or petition postmarked on or after January 1, 2026, submitted with the incorrect (old) fee will be rejected outright — no grace period or courtesy refunds.

Important Notes for Applicants

These are annual adjustments — expect similar small increases every January going forward.
Standard USCIS forms (e.g., I-129 H-1B, I-140, I-485 adjustment of status, naturalization N-400) are not affected by this specific update; they follow the separate 2024 fee rule schedule.
Premium processing, visa issuance fees at embassies/consulates, and ESTA remain unchanged by this notice.
Fee waivers and reduced fees still apply where eligible (e.g., for humanitarian cases).

Action Steps Before Year-End

File any pending HR-1-related applications (EAD renewals for parole/TPS/asylum, advance parole, etc.) before December 31, 2025 to lock in current lower fees.
Double-check the exact fee using the official USCIS Fee Calculator or Form G-1055 (updated edition expected soon).
Applications mailed December 2025 but postmarked January 2026 will require the new fees.

VisasAndTravels will track further announcements and provide filing checklists.