If you’re planning to file any immigration paperwork soon, you need to read this — USCIS announced another round of fee increases this week. Don’t panic — these are not the massive hikes we saw in 2024. These are smaller, automatic inflation adjustments tied to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) passed earlier in 2025.

H.R. is a standard abbreviation that stands for House of Representatives. H.R. 1 is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (also called the "Big Beautiful Bill" or OBBBA), a massive reconciliation package signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025.

It includes tax cuts (e.g., extending 2017 rates, new deductions for overtime pay up to $12,500 and tips), spending reforms, defense boosts, and immigration-related provisions—like mandating annual inflation adjustments to certain USCIS fees under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1) to fund operations without full taxpayer reliance.

Here's all the information you need, complete with official links and tables for easy comprehension.

When Do the New Fees Start?

The fees announced in this notice are effective on or after January 1, 2026. Any immigration benefit request postmarked on or after January 1, 2026 without the proper filing fee will be rejected.

→ Any application postmarked or submitted online on or after January 1, 2026 will pay the higher amount.

→ File before midnight December 31, 2025 → you lock in the current (lower) fees.

Official USCIS Sources

• USCIS Official Alert (Nov 19, 2025)

• Full Federal Register Notice (Nov 21, 2025)

• USCIS Fee Calculator (always up-to-date for every form, check new fees after Jan 1, 2026)

Fees That Are Increasing (Effective Jan. 1, 2026)

These are the H.R. 1 fees getting a bump due to inflation. Note: The Annual Asylum Application Fee is currently stayed by court order, so you might not pay it right now—but if the stay lifts, it'll jump to $102.

Form Type	Previous Fee	New Fee	Increase
Annual Asylum Application Fee (currently stayed via court order)	$100	$102	+$2
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization - Initial Asylum Applicant Employment Authorization Document (EAD)	$550	$560	+$10
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization - Initial Parole EAD	$550	$560	+$10
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization - Renewal or Extension of Parole EAD	$275	$280	+$5
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization - Initial Temporary Protected Status (TPS) EAD	$550	$560	+$10
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization - Renewal or Extension of TPS EAD	$275	$280	+$5
Form I-131, Part 9 - EAD requested upon authorization of a new period of Parole (Re-parole)	$275	$280	+$5
Form I-821, Application for TPS	$500	$510	+$10

Fees That Are NOT Increasing (For Now)

These stay frozen at current levels. Heads up: DHS plans a separate Federal Register notice soon for the immigration parole fee adjustment—stay tuned.

Form Type	Previous Fee	New Fee	Change
I-589 Asylum Fee (Initial fee for aliens filing an application for asylum)	$100	$100	$0
I-765 Renewal or Extension of Asylum Applicant EAD	$275	$275	$0
I-360 Special Immigrant Juvenile Fee	$250	$250	$0

What Did NOT Increase This Time?

• H-1B petition (I-129) → still $780

• H-1B registration fee → still $215

• I-485 Adjustment of Status → still $1,440

• N-400 Naturalization → still $710 online/ $760paper

• Premium Processing (15-day) → still $2,805

• The controversial $100,000 “Presidential H-1B fee” → unchanged

These increases are small (2.7% average, based on CPI-U inflation from July 2024–July 2025), but every dollar counts when you’re already paying thousands in legal and filing fees.

Save the official USCIS Fee Calculator link here (note that it may not display updated fees until they are effective): https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees

Have a specific form you’re worried about? Drop it in the comments and I’ll tell you the exact current vs. future fee.