U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase several immigration-related fees starting October 16. Asylum seekers, applicants for work permits, parole, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be affected by these changes. These adjustments respond to inflation and are part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act established under President Donald Trump’s administration in July 2025.
USCIS is under the Department of Homeland Security and manages immigration benefits like applications for immigration status and work authorization. Efforts to tighten controls over legal immigration have resulted in higher costs for filing applications.
What Applicants Will Pay
Under the revised fee structure, the annual asylum application fee increases from $102 to $105. The immigration parole fee associated with Form I-131, covering applications for travel documents, parole documents, and arrival/departure records, will rise from $1,020 to $1,050.
The fee for initially issued work permits for asylum applicants, parolees, and TPS recipients will increase from $560 to $570. Additionally, the fee for Form I-821 used for applying for Temporary Protected Status will elevate by $10, from $510 to $520.
TPS grants eligible nationals of designated countries temporary permission to reside and work in the U.S amidst conditions like armed conflict or environmental disasters. Parole permits certain individuals temporary entry or stay in the U.S without bestowing permanent immigration status.
The administration has terminated TPS programs for several countries, including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Ethiopia, and Yemen during 2025-2026.
USCIS’s guidance from September confirms termination dates for countries such as Sudan and Ukraine on October 19, 2026. Meanwhile, El Salvador maintains TPS protection pending further announcements by the Department of Homeland Security.
USCIS mandates that immigration benefit requests postmarked after October 16 include the new fee. Applications missing the correct fee will face rejection.
Fee Increases Breakdown
Overall, the increases are small compared to the underlying fees. The asylum fee will rise by $3, or approximately 2.9 percent. The parole fee will increase by $30, equating to roughly 2.9 percent. The work permit fee and TPS fees will increase by $10, representing approximately 1.8 percent and 2 percent respectively.
The new fees will apply based on postmark dates. Applicants submitting requests before October 16 will adhere to previous fees, whereas postmarked requests after will require adjusted fees.
An asylum applicant subjected to both the annual asylum fee and the work permit fee will pay a total of $675 under the new schedule, compared to $662 previously.
Immigration advocates express concern that increased fees could present financial obstacles for those seeking humanitarian protections. Conversely, the administration rationalizes the fee increases as essential for covering elevated review costs.
The fee adjustments coincide with the State Department’s release of the October 2026 Visa Bulletin. This event marks the beginning of the new federal fiscal year and may allow employment-based applicants to progress after prolonged periods of waiting.
For further information, contact Newsweek editors Matthew Cannon and James Debens.