US Immigration fees rise from October 16 as USCIS announces new charges

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase fees for several immigration applications from October 16, 2026, affecting asylum seekers, foreign workers, parole applicants and people seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The revised charges are part of an annual inflation adjustment to certain immigration fees established under H.R. 1, according to updated USCIS guidance.

The increases range from $3 to $30, depending on the immigration benefit being sought. The new rates will apply to applications postmarked on or after October 16.

USCIS has warned applicants to use the correct filing fees, as applications submitted with incorrect payments may be rejected.

Under the new schedule, the annual asylum application fee will rise from $102 to $105, an increase of $3.

The immigration parole fee for Form I-131 will record the largest increase among the affected charges, rising by $30 from $1,020 to $1,050.

Applicants seeking an initial Employment Authorization Document (EAD) through Form I-765 will also face higher charges.

For asylum applicants, the initial EAD fee will increase from $560 to $570. The same $570 fee will apply to initial employment authorization applications submitted by parole and TPS applicants, up from $560.

Meanwhile, the fee for Form I-821, used to apply for Temporary Protected Status, will increase from $510 to $520.

The Department of Homeland Security said the latest adjustments reflect inflation recorded between July 2025 and July 2026.

The date an application is postmarked will determine whether the old or new fee applies. Applications postmarked before October 16 will be subject to the existing charges, while those postmarked on or after the date must include the revised fees.

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USCIS has therefore advised applicants preparing submissions around the implementation date to pay close attention to the postmark date rather than simply when their forms were completed.

An incorrect filing fee could result in USCIS rejecting or returning an application, potentially delaying the processing of an immigration request.

The latest increases follow a series of fee changes introduced under H.R. 1.

In 2025, the US introduced new statutory immigration fees covering asylum, parole, employment authorisation and TPS applications. The changes included a $100 asylum application fee, a $550 initial EAD fee and an increase in the TPS application fee from $50 to $500.

The charges were subsequently adjusted from January 1, 2026, under the first annual inflation adjustment. The asylum application fee rose to $102, while initial EAD applications for asylum, parole and TPS applicants increased to $560. The TPS application fee also rose to $510.

Separately, the US introduced a $1,000 immigration parole fee in October 2025.

The continued fee adjustments mean foreign nationals applying for affected immigration benefits will need to verify the applicable USCIS charge before submitting their applications, particularly around the October 16 implementation date.