USCIS Announces 3.4% Inflation Hike to H.R.1 Immigration Fees – New Rates Apply From 16 October 2026
Updated: 3 minutes ago
WASHINGTON, October 2, 2026 — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has published a Federal Register notice announcing the first annual inflation adjustment to immigration fees created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).
The notice, issued 1 October 2026, raises a slate of statutory fees by roughly 3.36 percent to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) between July 2025 and July 2026. The revised amounts take effect for petitions and applications postmarked on or after 16 October 2026.
Why These Fees Adjust Automatically
Unlike discretionary fee rules that require lengthy notice-and-comment periods and are vulnerable to litigation, the H.R. 1 adjustments are hard-wired into statute. Congress mandated annual CPI-linked updates to spare itself the political difficulty of revisiting fee schedules each year.
USCIS calculated the adjustment using CPI-U figures of 323.048 in July 2025 and 333.918 in July 2026. Most fees are rounded down to the next lowest multiple of $10 as required by statute, while certain fees — such as the Annual Asylum Fee and the I-94 fee — round down to the nearest dollar.
Full Fee Table: What Changes and What Doesn't
Fee Type | Current Fee | FY 2027 Fee | Increase |
I-589 Asylum Fee (initial) | $100 | $100 | $0 |
I-589 Annual Pending Asylum Fee | $102 | $105 | +$3 |
I-765 Initial Asylum Applicant EAD | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
I-765 Renewal Asylum Applicant EAD | $275 | $275 | $0 |
I-765 Initial Parole EAD (1 year) | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
I-765 Renewal Parole EAD (1 year) | $280 | $280 | $0 |
I-765 Initial TPS EAD | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
I-765 Renewal TPS EAD | $280 | $280 | $0 |
I-765 Re-parole EAD | $280 | $280 | $0 |
I-821 TPS Fee | $510 | $520 | +$10 |
I-360 Special Immigrant Juvenile Fee | $250 | $250 | $0 |
I-131 Immigration Parole Fee | $1,020 | $1,050 | +$30 |
I-94 Immigration Fee | $24 | $24 | $0 |
The parole fee sees the largest absolute increase, rising from $1,020 to $1,050. Several EAD categories and the TPS fee rise by $10.
Immediate Impact for Employers
Although many employment-based forms — including the I-129, I-140 and I-765 in certain categories — face separate fee increases still moving through the rulemaking process, this notice matters immediately for employers that routinely rely on:
Parole programmes
Humanitarian re-parole
Replacement or renewal Employment Authorization Documents
TPS-related filings
Petitioners who miscalculate the new fees will see their filings rejected. A rejected filing can jeopardise work-authorisation continuity and, in some cases, the underlying immigration status.
Practical Guidance
Immigration counsel are advising corporate clients to take three steps:
Download the new fee table from the Federal Register notice
Update cheque-cutting and payment protocols before 16 October
Brief foreign nationals whose self-petitioned filings — such as certain EB-1 self-sponsorships — may be in flight in mid-October
Employers that batch-file large numbers of humanitarian parole or TPS-related EAD renewals should consider accelerating submissions to beat the 15 October postmark deadline.
The Bigger Cost Picture
The increases themselves are modest — most rise by around $10 — but they arrive at a moment when overall mobility programme costs are climbing. Contributing factors include:
Higher prevailing wage requirements
Premium processing surcharges
New state-level payroll taxes applying to remote workers
Employers should factor these compounding costs into 2027 mobility budgets.
What Comes Next
The notice confirms that a broader USCIS fee rule — currently under review at the Office of Management and Budget — will overhaul the main I-129 and I-140 schedules in early 2027.
For now, however, the H.R. 1 CPI-linked mechanism is the only fee change employers must absorb this quarter.
Read More
Quick Reference Summary
Aspect | Details |
Notice Issued | 1 October 2026 |
Effective Date | Postmarked on or after 16 October 2026 |
CPI-U Change | 3.36 percent (July 2025 to July 2026) |
Largest Increase | I-131 Parole Fee: $1,020 → $1,050 (+$30) |
Common Increase | $10 on several EAD and TPS categories |
Rounding Rule | Down to next lowest multiple of $10 |
Rejection Risk | Filings without proper fee will be rejected |
Next Fee Rule | Broader USCIS fee overhaul expected early 2027 |
Official Resources
Resource | Link |
Federal Register Notice (91 FR 62540) | |
USCIS Official Website | |
USCIS Fee Schedule | |
H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act |
For the latest immigration updates, visa policy changes, and 2026 developments worldwide, visit: visasupdate.com/blog/category/usa
VisasUpdate.com – The world's most trusted visa intelligence hub.Unlock 2026 immigration breakthroughs, digital nomad policies, and real-time fee alerts—all in one place.
Bookmark us now: visasupdate.com/news – Stay ahead. Move smarter.
Comments