Picture this: you’ve spent weeks gathering documents, you fill out your application, you buy the money order for the amount you always paid… and the envelope comes back with a rejection letter because the amount is no longer correct. Starting today, October 16, 2026, this can happen to anyone who sends certain filings to USCIS without first checking the new fee schedule.
The immigration agency updated for inflation the fees created by the federal law H.R. 1, and the new prices apply starting today. This isn’t a social media rumor: the notice is published on USCIS’s official site. Here’s what changed, who has to pay more and what to do so your application isn’t rejected over a few dollars of difference.
What changed: the new USCIS fees
USCIS published a notice in the Federal Register adjusting four fees for fiscal year 2027. The agency describes them as minor adjustments reflecting inflation between July 2025 and July 2026. This is the official table:
- Annual asylum application fee: rises from $102 to $105.
- Initial work permit (Form I-765): rises from $560 to $570. Applies to asylum applicants, people with parole and TPS applicants.
- Temporary Protected Status application (Form I-821): rises from $510 to $520.
- Immigration parole fee (Form I-131): rises from $1,020 to $1,050.
These are increases of between $3 and $30 per filing. Small on the surface, but USCIS was clear about the point that hurts most: any application postmarked October 16 or later that includes the old amount will be rejected.
Who this increase affects
It hits hardest those with humanitarian filings in progress or about to be sent:
- Asylum applicants with pending cases, who pay the annual fee while their application remains open.
- Those applying for their first work permit under the asylum, parole or TPS categories.
- TPS beneficiaries or applicants renewing or filing Form I-821.
- People with parole subject to the Form I-131 fee.
If your filing is a work permit renewal (not the initial application) or belongs to another immigration category, the amount that applies to you may be different: fees aren’t the same for every category.
Why fees are rising (and will keep rising)
Law H.R. 1, passed in 2025, created these fees and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to adjust them every fiscal year according to inflation. USCIS first implemented the fees in July 2025 and has been reviewing them annually since. In other words: this is not an isolated increase; the law plans for it to repeat every year.
What to do today, in order
- If you’re sending an application this week: use the new amounts. The postmark rules: if your envelope leaves today or later, the payment must be the updated one.
- Confirm your exact category before filling out the check or money order. The cost of the work permit depends on whether it’s an initial application, a renewal or another category; don’t assume the amount based on what someone else paid.
- Check USCIS’s official notice (it’s in the Official sources section at the end) and save the link: the table with the four changes is there.
- If your application already went out with a postmark before October 16 and the old amount, don’t worry: the rule applies to postmarks from today onward.
- Save your mailing and payment receipts. If USCIS rejects it for an incorrect fee, you’ll have to resend with the correct amount, and that means more waiting.
And one standing recommendation: stay up to date with USCIS announcements, because the agency is moving several pieces at once. In our News section we explain them in English, and if you’re organizing your filings, the Procedures guide helps you keep track.
Official sources
- USCIS — “USCIS Announces FY 2027 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees” (official notice, September 30, 2026): https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-fy-2027-inflation-increase-for-certain-immigration-related-fees
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