USCIS Fee Increase From 16 October 2026: What Changed and How to Avoid Rejection

The US immigration agency USCIS has raised a handful of fees by small amounts for any request postmarked on or after 16 October 2026. The changes touch work permits, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), parole and asylum, and sending the old amount can get your filing rejected.

What changed

The increases come from the annual inflation adjustment of fees created by H.R. 1, the 2025 budget reconciliation law. USCIS announced the FY 2027 adjustment in an alert dated 30 September 2026, and a Federal Register notice (91 FR 62540, published 1 October 2026) carries the same effective date, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s summary. USCIS says the adjustment reflects inflation between July 2025 and July 2026 and describes the increases as minor.

The new fees apply to requests postmarked on or after 16 October 2026. USCIS says a request postmarked on or after that date without the correct fee will be rejected.

Old vs new fees

These four rows match the USCIS alert and a business-news report that cites the Federal Register notice. A law-firm explainer lists the same figures.

Which form is which

• Form I-131 is the Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records. The higher amount is the immigration parole fee tied to it.
• Form I-765 is the Application for Employment Authorization. Only the initial work permit for asylum applicants, parolees and TPS applicants went up; other EAD categories, such as H-4 spouses, are not part of this change.
• Form I-821 is the Application for Temporary Protected Status.

What did not change

Not every H.R. 1 fee moved. According to the law-firm explainer, the initial asylum application (Form I-589) fee stays at $100, the asylum work permit renewal fee stays at $275, renewal work permits for parolees and TPS holders stay at $280, and the Special Immigrant Juvenile fee stays at $250. Treat these as reported figures and confirm them on the official fee schedule.

Another important point is that H.R. 1 fees are added on top of regular USCIS fees rather than replacing them. The same explainer says, for example, that an initial TPS applicant also pays a separate biometric fee. The fee for parole is also reported to depend on the date parole is granted rather than the mailing date, so read your approval notice carefully.

What it means for you

Most Indian readers will not be directly affected, because these fees mostly apply to asylum seekers, parolees and TPS applicants. But relatives, friends or clients in those situations may be, and the same rejection rules apply to everyone who files with USCIS.

What to do now

1. Check the official fee schedule (Form G-1055) and the fee calculator on uscis.gov on the day you file. Fees change, and secondary articles, including this one, can go out of date.
2. Match the fee to the postmark date. A package postmarked on 15 October or earlier is treated under the old amounts; on 16 October or later, the new ones apply.
3. Use tracked mail and keep a dated receipt. The law-firm explainer notes that private couriers may not define the postmark clearly, so do not rely on the label date and ship early.
4. If you file online, the submission date is what counts, according to the same explainer.
5. If a filing is rejected for the wrong fee, correct the payment and refile quickly. A rejected package generally does not keep its original filing date, so deadlines matter.
6. Talk to a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative if your case has a deadline, a fee waiver question or an unusual situation. H.R. 1 fees are reported to be non-waivable, while some regular fees may be waivable.

Other fee news to keep in view

Separately, a business-news report says USCIS has finalised higher EB-5 investor fees effective 30 November 2026. That is a different fee rule from the H.R. 1 inflation change covered here. Readers following high-fee categories such as the H-1B $100,000 payment or OPT charges should check official USCIS pages, as we do not cover them in this article.

The bottom line

The 16 October 2026 changes are modest, in dollar terms between $3 and $30 per item, but the penalty for getting them wrong is a rejected filing and possibly a lost filing date. Before you send anything to USCIS, check the current fee schedule, confirm your postmark date and keep proof of when you mailed it.

This article is for information only and is not legal or financial advice. Immigration rules and fees change; confirm details with USCIS or a qualified attorney before filing.

Sources

• USCIS: USCIS Announces FY 2027 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees
• AILA: USCIS notice of fee adjustment for inflation, 91 FR 62540 (summary)
• Lehigh Valley Immigration Lawyers: USCIS Fee Increases Take Effect October 16, 2026
• Business Today: US visa and immigration fees increase, new USCIS charges effective October 16