The United States (U.S) government has rolled out new immigration fees scheduled to take off on January 1, 2026.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the development in a press statement issued on Thursday.
The agency explained that the U.S rolled out the new immigration fees due to inflation between July 2024 and July 2025
USCIS also added that the fee update is mandated by the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill
This means that any application postmarked on or after the New Year’s Day deadline will be subject to the increased costs, which will impact filings related to employment authorization, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and certain asylum-related requests.
The statement reads in part: “We have issued a Federal Register notice that will increase certain H.R. 1 immigration-related fees for fiscal year (FY) 2026. These fee adjustments reflect the amount of inflation from July 2024 through July 2025.
“On July 22, we published a Federal Register notice announcing the implementation of these H.R. 1 immigration-related fees. Beginning in FY 2026, and continuing for each subsequent fiscal year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will adjust some of these fees for inflation, as specified in H.R. 1.
“The new inflationary-adjusted fees are effective on Jan. 1, 2026. If you submit a benefit request postmarked on or after Jan. 1, 2026, that requires one of these HR-1 fees, you must include the new fee for the specific benefit you are requesting.”
Full breakdown of increasing fees
The adjusted fees include:
Asylum-related fees
• Annual Asylum Application Fee increases from $100 to $102, though USCIS noted it remains stayed by court order.
• Form I-765 EAD for initial asylum applicants rises from $550 to $560.
Parole-related EAD fees
• Initial parole EAD increases from $550 to $560.
• Renewal or extension of parole EAD increases from $275 to $280.
• Form I-131 (Part 9) EAD requested for a new period of parole (re-parole) increases from $275 to $280.
Temporary Protected Status fees
• Form I-765 EAD for initial TPS applicants increases from $550 to $560.
• TPS renewal or extension EAD rises from $275 to $280.
• The Form I-821 TPS application fee goes from $500 to $510.
Fees unchanged for the 2026 cycle
USCIS also confirmed that some fees will remain the same despite the inflation review. These include:
• The initial $100 Form I-589 Asylum Fee.
• The $275 renewal or extension fee for asylum-based EADs.
• The $250 Form I-360 Special Immigrant Juvenile Fee.
The agency added that DHS will publish another notice later with details on the forthcoming inflationary update for the immigration parole fee.
USCIS warned that any submission received with an incorrect fee amount after January 1 will be rejected, a development that could delay work authorizations, TPS renewals, or asylum-related filings for thousands of applicants.
After the U.S rolled out a new immigration fee, the agency urged immigrants, legal representatives, and filing assistants to review the updated fee table ahead of the deadline to avoid disruptions in processing as the new fee structure takes effect.
