United States | USCIS announces mandated FY 2026 inflationary adjustments for certain H.R. 1 immigration fees

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced inflationary adjustments to certain immigration-related fees mandated under the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1), aka One Big Beautiful Bill Act, for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The Federal Register Notice (FRN) published today outlines the adjusted fees and their effective date on or after Jan. 1, 2026.

Key Points:

• These changes are mandated by H.R. 1, which was signed into law on July 4, and reflect annual inflationary increases published in the July 22 FRN announcing the implementation of certain H.R. 1 immigration-related fees.
• The new fee adjustments will apply to immigration benefit requests postmarked on or after Jan. 1, 2026.
• Any filing submitted on or after this date without the correct fee will be rejected.
• A complete list of the new fees increasing due to the FRN can be found here. Notable employer-related adjusted fee increases include but are not limited to:
  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization – Initial Asylum Applicant Employment Authorization Document (EAD) (increased to $560)
  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization – Initial Parole EAD (increased to $560)
  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization – Renewal or Extension of Parole EAD (increased to $280)
  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization – Initial Temporary Protected Status (TPS) EAD (increased to $560)
  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization – Renewal or Extension of TPS EAD (increased to $280)
• According to the USCIS announcement, the following form types will not be subject to a fee increase for FY 2026:
• • I-589 Asylum Fee (initial fee for aliens filing an application for asylum)
  • I-765 Renewal or Extension of Asylum Applicant EAD
  • I-360 Special Immigrant Juvenile Fee

Additional Information: BAL will continue to monitor related developments and provide updates as more details become available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.