USCIS Increases Immigration Fees Effective October 16

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will implement raised fees on immigration-related matters starting October 16. This change impacts asylum seekers, applicants for work permits, parole, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The adjustments in fees align with inflation and comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, part of the tax and spending reforms passed under President Donald Trump in July 2025.

Fee Increases

The new fee schedule outlines various adjustments:

• The annual asylum application fee will increase from $102 to $105.
• The fee for immigration parole applications (Form I-131) rises from $1,020 to $1,050. This form is for travel documents, parole, and arrival/departure records.
• Asylum, parole, and TPS applicants will see work permit fees increase from $560 to $570.
• The Temporary Protected Status application fee (Form I-821) will go up from $510 to $520.

TPS allows eligible individuals from designated countries facing crises such as conflict or disasters to live and work in the U.S. temporarily. Parole permits certain entries or temporary stays in the U.S. without granting permanent status. The administration plans to terminate TPS designations for some countries, including Sudan and Ukraine, on October 19, 2026. While the latest guidance, dated September 30, 2026, confirms El Salvador remains under protection pending further announcements from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Previous TPS designations have been terminated for countries such as Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, and others during 2025-2026.

Application Conditions

USCIS mandates that any immigration benefit requests sent on or after October 16 include the appropriate new fee. Applications received without the updated fee will be rejected. Though the overall fee increases are minor compared to the base amounts, they still impose additional costs on applicants:

• The annual asylum fee increase represents a roughly 2.9% hike.
• The parole fee is also up by about 2.9%.
• The work permit fee increases by about 1.8%.
• The TPS application fee sees a 2% rise.

The timing of when an application is postmarked determines the applicable fee. Requests made before October 16 remain under the previous fee schedule, while those dated afterward must adhere to the new charges. An example of this is an asylum applicant paying both the annual fee and the initial work permit fee, totaling $675 under the new schedule, compared to $662 under previous fees.

These changes have been criticized by immigration advocates as adding financial burdens to those seeking humanitarian protection. However, government officials argue these adjustments cover the increased costs of processing applications. The fee changes coincide with the release of the State Department’s October 2026 Visa Bulletin, marking the start of a new fiscal year and allowing some employment-based applicants to progress after long wait periods.

USCIS is operating under oversight by the Department of Homeland Security and manages various immigration benefits including status and work authorization applications.