US to Increase Fees for Several Immigration Applications from October 16 2026

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase fees for several immigration applications from October 16, 2026, affecting asylum applicants, employment authorization requests, immigration parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

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

The increases range from $3 to $30 depending on the immigration benefit being requested and will apply to applications postmarked on or after October 16.

USCIS warned that applications submitted with an incorrect filing fee may be rejected, making the new charges particularly important for foreign nationals preparing to submit applications around the implementation date.

• Under the adjustment, the annual asylum application fee will increase from $102 to $105, representing an additional $3.
• The immigration parole fee for Form I-131 will record the largest increase among the affected applications, rising by $30 from $1,020 to $1,050.
• Applicants seeking an initial Employment Authorization Document (EAD) through Form I-765 will also pay higher fees.
• For asylum applicants, the initial EAD fee will increase from $560 to $570. The same $570 charge will apply to initial employment authorization applications submitted by parole and TPS applicants, up from $560.
• The fee for Form I-821, used to apply for Temporary Protected Status, will rise from $510 to $520.

The Department of Homeland Security said the revised charges reflect inflation between July 2025 and July 2026.

The effective date will determine whether applicants pay the existing or revised fees. Requests postmarked on or after October 16, 2026, must be accompanied by the new fee applicable to the immigration benefit being sought.

Applicants submitting requests before the effective date should therefore pay close attention to when their applications are postmarked rather than simply when the forms were prepared.

USCIS may reject applications that do not contain the correct filing fee.

This means applicants submitting affected forms from October 16 could have their requests returned even where the difference between the old and new charge is relatively small.

The latest fee increase follows a series of changes to U.S. immigration charges affecting asylum seekers, foreign workers and people applying for Temporary Protected Status.

• In July 2025, Nairametrics reported that the U.S. introduced new immigration fees under H.R. 1 for asylum, parole, employment authorisation and TPS applications. The changes included a $100 asylum application fee, a $550 initial Employment Authorization Document (EAD) fee and a tenfold increase in the TPS application fee from $50 to $500.
• The fees were adjusted again from January 1, 2026, following the first annual inflation adjustment under H.R. 1. Also the annual asylum application fee increased from $100 to $102, while initial EAD applications for asylum, parole and TPS applicants rose from $550 to $560. The TPS application fee also increased from $500 to $510.
• The U.S. separately introduced a $1,000 immigration parole fee in October 2025.

Nairametrics reported that failure to pay the applicable fee could prevent USCIS from granting parole, adding another cost for foreign nationals using humanitarian and public-benefit parole programmes.

-Nairametrics