Ten dollars. That is the size of most of the fee increases DHS just announced, and USCIS itself calls them minor. The catch is the date. Starting October 16, 2026, a USCIS filing postmarked with the old fee gets rejected, and a parole granted that day or later is charged the new amount no matter when it was requested. Here is which fees under H.R. 1, the 2025 budget reconciliation law, are moving, which are not, and what TPS holders, parole applicants, and travelers should do before then.
What happened
USCIS issued a newsroom alert on September 30, 2026: certain H.R. 1 immigration-related fees go up for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The notice behind it, "Fiscal Year 2027 Inflation Adjustment to H.R. 1 Immigration Fees," ran in the Federal Register on October 1, 2026, at 91 FR 62540. A companion U.S. Customs and Border Protection notice (91 FR 62534) appeared the same day. It adjusts the parole fee, plus the fees for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS).
Every new amount takes effect on October 16, 2026.
Where these fees come from
H.R. 1 is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Public Law 119-21, signed on July 4, 2025. It created a set of new immigration fees, now codified at 8 U.S.C. Chapter 16. The USCIS notice describes the design: the law set the fees as minimum amounts for FY 2025, authorized agencies to adjust them through rulemaking, and mandated annual updates tied to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).
The rollout came in stages. USCIS implemented the first fees in a Federal Register notice published on July 22, 2025 (90 FR 34511). The parole fee arrived on October 16, 2025 (90 FR 48317), at $1,000. The first inflation adjustment, for FY 2026, was published on November 21, 2025 (90 FR 52693) and took effect on January 1, 2026. An interim final rule on April 29, 2026 (91 FR 22952) spelled out the collection procedures, and a correction followed on July 21, 2026 (91 FR 45637).
How the adjustment is calculated
Congress wrote the formula into the statute. DHS compares the CPI-U for July of the current year against July of the year before. The July 2025 figure was 323.048. The July 2026 figure was 333.918. That works out to an increase of approximately 3.36 percent.
Apply that percentage to each current fee, then round down. For most fees, H.R. 1 requires rounding to the next lowest multiple of $10 (see, for example, 8 U.S.C. 1802(c)); the annual asylum fee is rounded down to the nearest dollar instead. Rounding is why some fees rise by $10 and others stay put. Take a $280 fee: add 3.36 percent and you get $289.42, which rounds right back down to $280.
The USCIS fees that are increasing
Table 1 of the USCIS notice lists these increases, all effective October 16, 2026:
- Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status: the H.R. 1 TPS fee goes from $510 to $520.
- Form I-765, initial TPS-based Employment Authorization Document (EAD): $560 to $570. The notice describes this EAD as valid for 1 year or the duration of the TPS designation, whichever is shorter.
- Form I-765, initial parole-based EAD: $560 to $570.
- Form I-765, initial asylum applicant EAD: $560 to $570.
- Form I-131 immigration parole fee: $1,020 to $1,050.
- Annual fee for a pending asylum application: $102 to $105.
The USCIS fees that are not changing
For several H.R. 1 fees, the inflation adjustment was too small to reach the next rounding threshold. They hold steady for FY 2027:
- Renewal or extension of a TPS-based EAD: $280.
- Renewal or extension of a parole-based EAD: $280.
- Re-parole EAD: $280.
- Form I-360 Special Immigrant Juvenile fee: $250.
- The initial Form I-589 asylum application fee: $100.
- The I-94 immigration fee: $24.
One fee is never adjusted. The renewal or extension of an asylum applicant EAD stays at $275 because, as the notice explains, H.R. 1 does not provide for inflationary adjustments to that fee (8 U.S.C. 1810).
The parole fee: the date of the grant controls
The parole fee does not behave like a filing fee, and the difference matters. Section 100004 of H.R. 1 (8 U.S.C. 1804) requires the fee each time a person is granted parole under INA section 212(d)(5)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)(A). The CBP notice says that covers initial parole from outside the United States, parole in place, re-parole, and parole from DHS custody.
What triggers the fee is the actual grant of parole. Not the filing of an application or request. So the $1,050 amount will be collected from anyone granted parole on or after October 16, 2026, regardless of when the underlying request was submitted. A parole request already pending today may end up subject to the higher amount. And the fee is required in addition to any other fee authorized by law.
The October 2025 parole fee notice describes how this works for parole in place and re-parole requests filed on Form I-131. When USCIS decides to approve, it sends a notice stating that the approval is conditioned on payment of the fee, with payment instructions and a deadline. Parole is granted only after the fee is paid. Miss the deadline in that notice and the request is denied.
Who does not pay the parole fee
Section 100004(b) of H.R. 1 contains ten exceptions to the parole fee. One matters to many of our clients: no fee is assessed when a person is a lawful applicant for adjustment of status under INA section 245 (8 U.S.C. 1255) and is returning to the United States after temporary travel abroad. Others cover situations such as attending the funeral of a close family member. None of them is automatic. The person must establish, to the satisfaction of DHS and on an individual, case-by-case basis, that an exception applies.
ESTA, EVUS, and the land border I-94
The CBP notice reaches travelers, too, and not only applicants inside the United States. CBP begins assessing these amounts on October 16, 2026:
- ESTA: the total fee for a travel authorization under the Visa Waiver Program rises from $40.27 to $40.62. If an ESTA application is denied, the FY 2027 fee is $10.62.
- EVUS: the enrollment fee rises from $30.75 to $31.75. EVUS is currently used by nationals of the People’s Republic of China who hold a 10-year B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 visitor visa.
- Form I-94 at land border ports of entry: no change. The total stays at $30, made up of the $24 H.R. 1 fee and a separate $6 land border fee. CBP does not assess this fee for travelers arriving at an air or sea port of entry.
The key date and the postmark rule
With USCIS, the postmark decides. Any immigration benefit request postmarked on or after October 16, 2026 must carry the FY 2027 fee, and the notice says requests postmarked on or after that date without the proper filing fee will be rejected. For anyone filing close to a deadline, that can be a serious problem.
The date also came earlier this time. The FY 2026 adjustment took effect on January 1, 2026; the FY 2027 adjustment takes effect on October 16, 2026. H.R. 1 requires an adjustment for each fiscal year, so expect similar changes annually. DHS adds that it may codify the annual adjustments in 8 CFR part 106 in a future rule.
What to do now
Check the postmark date on any TPS or EAD filing. Filing Form I-821, or an initial TPS-based or parole-based Form I-765? A package postmarked before October 16, 2026 uses the current fee. One postmarked on or after that date must include the new fee.
Do not send the old amount after October 16. A $10 shortfall is enough for USCIS to reject the filing. Confirm the fee right before you mail or submit.
If you have a pending parole request, budget for $1,050. The amount turns on when parole is granted, not when you filed. Watch for the conditional approval notice and pay by the deadline it gives.
If you are an adjustment of status applicant traveling on advance parole, ask about the exception. The statute excepts adjustment applicants returning from temporary travel abroad, but DHS decides case by case whether an exception has been established.
Visa Waiver Program and EVUS travelers should expect slightly higher charges. The new ESTA and EVUS amounts apply starting October 16, 2026.
The dollar amounts this year are modest. The consequence of paying the wrong one is not. If you are unsure which fee applies to your filing, our attorneys are glad to review it with you before it goes out.
This post is attorney advertising and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law changes rapidly; consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific situation.
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