USCIS Fee Increase October 16, 2026: What Rises, What Does Not
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A USCIS fee increase takes effect on October 16, 2026. It is narrower than the headlines suggest: a 3.36% inflation adjustment applied to the immigration fees created by H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Four amounts actually rise; the rest are unchanged, and the ordinary USCIS fee schedule is untouched. Here is the full line-by-line picture, and the short list of things worth doing before the date.
What the October 16 notice actually covers
The adjustment reaches one specific family of fees: the immigration fees created by H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21). That statute directs USCIS to raise those fees every fiscal year in line with the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. It is an arithmetic exercise, not a policy change, and it does not touch the general USCIS fee schedule.
That distinction matters more than the dollar amounts. If you are filing Form I-130, I-485, N-400, I-129 or I-140, nothing in this notice changes what you owe. If you are an asylum applicant, a TPS holder, a parolee, or anyone renewing work authorization in those categories, read the table below.
The new amounts, line by line
The Federal Register notice sets these figures for fiscal year 2027. Most entries did not move at all, because USCIS rounds down to the nearest $10 increment and a 3.36% increase on a smaller fee does not clear that threshold. Only the annual asylum fee is rounded to the nearest dollar.
| Fee | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asylum application (Form I-589) | $100 | $100 | no change |
| Annual asylum fee (each year an application is pending) | $102 | $105 | +$3 |
| Employment authorization — initial, asylum applicant (Form I-765) | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
| Employment authorization — renewal, asylum applicant | $275 | $275 | no change |
| Employment authorization — initial, parolee | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
| Employment authorization — renewal, parolee | $280 | $280 | no change |
| Employment authorization — initial, TPS | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
| Employment authorization — renewal, TPS | $280 | $280 | no change |
| Employment authorization — re-parole | $280 | $280 | no change |
| Temporary Protected Status application (Form I-821) | $510 | $520 | +$10 |
| Special Immigrant Juvenile petition (Form I-360) | $250 | $250 | no change |
| Immigration parole (Form I-131) | $1,020 | $1,050 | +$30 |
| Form I-94 fee | $24 | $24 | no change |
Source: 91 FR, “Fiscal Year 2027 Inflation Adjustment to H.R. 1 Immigration Fees,” published October 1, 2026. The notice states the fees “are effective on or after October 16, 2026.”
How the increase was calculated
USCIS compared the CPI-U for July 2025 (323.048) with the CPI-U for July 2026 (333.918). The difference is 3.36%, and that percentage was applied to each H.R. 1 fee, then rounded down to the nearest $10. This is why a $560 work-authorization fee becomes $570 while a $280 renewal fee stays at $280: 3.36% of $280 is roughly $9.40, which does not reach the next $10 step.
Because the statute requires this every year, the sensible expectation is another adjustment next fall. Build that into any multi-year plan rather than treating each notice as a surprise.
What to do before October 16
- If your filing is ready, send it. A petition that is already complete and signed saves $10 to $30 by being received before the effective date. That is not a reason to rush an unfinished case.
- Do not file an incomplete package to beat the date. A rejection for a wrong fee or a missing signature costs far more in lost time than the increase does in dollars.
- Check the fee on the day you mail. USCIS rejects filings that include the wrong amount. The safest practice is to confirm the current figure on the USCIS fee schedule the same week you file.
- Watch the annual asylum fee. It is charged for each year an asylum application remains pending, so it recurs. Calendar it.
Filing with the old fee after the effective date is one of the most frequent avoidable rejections. If your package is received on or after October 16 with the FY 2026 amount, expect it back — and with it, a new filing date that can matter for work authorization, age-out calculations and deadlines.
Where this sits in a bigger picture
Taken alone, a $10 adjustment is minor. Taken together with the fee architecture H.R. 1 introduced — including a recurring annual charge on pending asylum applications — the direction of travel is that holding a pending case now carries an ongoing cost, not a one-time one. For families budgeting a multi-year process, that is the planning point worth absorbing.
The amounts are small. The structure behind them is not.
Frequently asked questions
Does this change the fee for my green card or citizenship application?
No. This notice adjusts only the immigration fees created by H.R. 1. The fees for Form I-130, Form I-485, Form N-400, Form I-129 and Form I-140 are set by the general USCIS fee schedule and are not changed by it. Always confirm the current amount on the USCIS fee schedule in the week you file.
What happens if USCIS receives my filing on October 16 with the old fee?
Expect a rejection. USCIS rejects filings submitted with an incorrect fee, and the package is returned. The practical cost is the new, later filing date you receive when you refile, which can matter for work authorization and for deadlines that run from the filing date.
Why did most of the fees not change at all?
Because USCIS rounds the adjusted amount down to the nearest $10 increment. A 3.36% increase on a $280 renewal fee is about $9.40, which does not reach the next $10 step, so the fee stays at $280. Only the annual asylum fee is rounded to the nearest dollar.
Will this happen again next year?
H.R. 1 directs USCIS to adjust these fees every fiscal year using the change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. Another adjustment in the next fiscal year should therefore be expected, with the size depending on inflation.
Ozek Law Firm, LLC · Tolga Ozek, Attorney at Law
4500 East West Highway, Suite 150, Bethesda, MD 20814
+1 (202) 854-8545 · info@ozeklaw.com · ozeklaw.com/contact
Tolga Ozek is the founder of Ozek Law Firm, LLC in Bethesda, Maryland. His practice covers business and immigration law, including investor and intracompany transfer visas, employment-based immigration, corporate formation and change of status.
We confirm the correct fee, check the package for the errors that cause rejections, and file it properly — in English or Turkish.
This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Attorney Advertising. Fees, form editions and policies reflect information published as of October 4, 2026. Confirm current amounts and requirements at uscis.gov and travel.state.gov. No attorney can guarantee an outcome.
Ozek Law Firm, LLC · 4500 East West Highway, Ste 150, Bethesda, MD 20814 · +1 (202) 854-8545 · info@ozeklaw.com · www.ozeklaw.com
Licensed in Maryland, New York, California and Washington, D.C.; federal immigration practice across the United States. Consultations in English, Turkish, Spanish and Swedish; interpreters for other languages.
