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USCIS Raises Asylum, Parole and TPS Fees for FY 2027: What Changes on October 16

Perplexity ChatGPT Claude Gemini
USCIS Raises Asylum, Parole and TPS Fees for FY 2027: What Changes on October 16

Some U.S. immigration fees are rising again, though only by small amounts. On September 30, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced inflation adjustments to certain fees created by the 2025 budget law known as H.R. 1. The agency describes the adjustments as "minor." The new amounts take effect on October 16, 2026. Here, our EB-1A consultants have presented a clear summary of the change in prices and highlighted who will have to comply with the changed prices.

The new numbers as posted in the USCIS newsroom

Four sets of USCIS-collected fees go up:

  • Annual asylum application fee: $102 to $105.
  • Immigration parole fee (Form I-131): $1,020 to $1,050.
  • Initial employment authorization (Form I-765) for asylum applicants, parolees and TPS holders: $560 to $570.
  • Temporary Protected Status application (Form I-821): $510 to $520.

Reddy Neumann Brown PC calculates the increases at $3 to $30, depending on the filing. By GCEB1's own arithmetic, that is about 2% to 3% on each fee. The notice appeared in the Federal Register on October 1. USCIS says a request postmarked on or after October 16 must carry the new fee for the benefit sought, and one without it will be rejected.

Where the increases come from

H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," was signed on July 4, 2025. It created several new immigration fees and required the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust them yearly for inflation. The adjustment uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). It compares July of one year with July of the next. Between July 2025 and July 2026, CPI-U rose from 323.048 to 333.918, or 3.36 percent.

The law also says most fees must be rounded down to the next lowest $10. That is why some fees rise by $10, while others do not move. Erickson Immigration Group says the adjustments are "generally modest" but will continue every year.

The path to this point took more than a year:

  • October 16, 2025: DHS began collecting the parole fee.
  • Early 2026: The first inflation adjustment, for FY 2026, took effect on January 1.
  • April 29, 2026: DHS issued an interim final rule on collection procedures, waivers and the consequences of nonpayment.

What is not changing

Several H.R. 1 fees stay at their current levels:

  • Initial asylum application (Form I-589): $100.
  • Parole, TPS or re-parole EAD renewals: $280.
  • Asylum applicant EAD renewals: $275. H.R. 1 does not authorize an inflation adjustment for this fee.
  • Special Immigrant Juvenile petitions (Form I-360): $250.
  • Form I-94 fee: $24.

The I-94 fee is a good example of the rounding rule. The formula produced an adjustment of only $0.81, which rounds down to zero. At land border ports, the total I-94 cost stays at $30, because the $24 H.R. 1 portion is added to a separate $6 land border fee that is not inflation-adjusted.

Beyond USCIS: ESTA, EVUS and the parole fee

The same Federal Register notice, issued through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, also covers fees collected at the border and online:

  • ESTA travel authorization: Rises from $40.27 to $40.62. The increase is $0.35 on the cost-recovery portion, which is the only part of the fee that is inflation-adjusted. A denied application still costs $10.62.
  • EVUS enrollment (for Chinese nationals holding long-validity visitor visas): Rises from $30.75 to $31.75.

The parole fee follows a different rule from the other USCIS fees. The $1,050 amount applies to anyone granted parole on or after October 16, whenever the application was filed, unless one of ten statutory exceptions applies. The fee is also charged in addition to any other fee required by law. So for parole, the date the parole is granted matters, not the postmark.

The significance of the postmark in the new fee

For USCIS filings, the postmark is what counts. A filing postmarked before October 16 can use current fees. After that date, an old fee means rejection, which Reddy Neumann Brown warns can lead to a lost filing date and, for work permits, a gap in work authorization. The firm's summary is that "the consequences of paying the wrong fee are not" small.

Who is not affected through the changes?

These adjustments cover the H.R. 1 humanitarian and related fees. According to Reddy Neumann Brown, they do not change regular USCIS fees for employment-based petitions or for H-4 and adjustment-of-status EADs. That is worth saying plainly for people on employment-based green card paths, such as EB-1A. Neither Form I-140 nor Form I-485 fees change under this notice.

Premium processing is also separate. That fee rose on March 1, 2026, under a different law that requires a two-year inflation adjustment. The I-140 premium processing fee went from $2,805 to $2,965 at that time.

The bottom line

This is a small, predictable adjustment, and it will recur each fiscal year. The risk is not the dollar amount. It is mailing a package with the wrong check. Applicants and employers filing close to October 16 should confirm every fee and update their internal fee tables now. Anyone with a time-sensitive case should check with an immigration attorney.

At GCEB1, our EB-1A experts are bringing in the latest updates about the US immigration landscape by the minute. Get in touch with us for a personalized consultation for merit based US immigration. We wish you a safe and stress free immigration journey ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do the new FY 2027 fees take effect?

October 16, 2026. USCIS says requests postmarked on or after that date must include the new fee.

2. Why did some fees stay flat?

Rounding down to the next lowest $10 absorbed the inflation increase for some fees. For the asylum EAD renewal, the statute does not allow inflation adjustments.

3. What happens if I send the old fee after October 16?

USCIS will reject the filing.

4. Do I pay the old fee if I mail before October 16?

Yes. USCIS filings postmarked before October 16 can use the current fees.

5. Does this change fees for EB-1A, I-140 or I-485 filings?

No. According to Reddy Neumann Brown, these adjustments do not change the regular USCIS fees for employment-based petitions or for H-4 and adjustment-of-status EADs.

6. Do ESTA and EVUS fees change?

Yes. The ESTA authorization fee goes to $40.62, and the EVUS enrollment fee to $31.75.

7. Is the inflation adjustment a one-time event?

No. H.R. 1 requires a new adjustment every fiscal year, and an individual fee may or may not change in FY 2028.

Sources & further readings

 

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