H.R. 1 Immigration Fees Rise for Inflation From October 16, 2026

What happened

On September 30, 2026, USCIS announced inflation increases to several fees created by H.R. 1, the 2025 budget law. The Department of Homeland Security published two notices in the Federal Register on October 1, 2026: one for the USCIS fees and one for the parole, ESTA, EVUS and I-94 fees collected by CBP and other agencies. The law requires these fees to rise each year with inflation. This adjustment covers July 2025 to July 2026.

The new amounts start on October 16, 2026:

Fee	Old	New
Annual asylum application fee	$102	$105
H.R. 1 parole fee (Form I-131 and other parole grants)	$1,020	$1,050
Initial work permit (I-765) for asylum applicants, parolees and TPS	$560	$570
TPS application (I-821)	$510	$520
ESTA travel authorization	$40.27	$40.62
EVUS enrollment	$30.75	$31.75
H.R. 1 land-border I-94 fee	$24	$24 (no change; $30 total with the $6 base fee)

If an ESTA application is denied, the fee will be $10.62.

Who is affected

The USCIS increases mainly affect people in humanitarian routes: asylum seekers who owe the annual fee, TPS applicants, and people applying for a first work permit while their asylum case, parole or TPS is pending. The parole fee applies to anyone granted parole on or after October 16, 2026, whenever they applied. The ESTA and EVUS changes affect visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries and Chinese passport holders with 10-year B visas.

What it means for your move

The increases are small, between $0.35 and $30. The real risk is rejection. USCIS says any request postmarked on or after October 16, 2026 without the correct fee will be rejected. A rejected filing has no place in line and may cost you time you do not have, for example with a TPS deadline or the one-year asylum filing rule. These fees are on top of the regular USCIS filing fees, which have not changed. See our USCIS fees guide for the full picture.

What to do now

• If you can file a complete package before October 16, 2026, the current amounts apply, based on postmark date.
• If you file on or after that date, use the new amounts and check the fee schedule (Form G-1055) on uscis.gov the day you pay.
• Visitors applying for ESTA after October 16 should expect the new $40.62 charge.
• If you are in asylum or TPS proceedings, speak with a licensed attorney or accredited representative about deadlines. Our asylum basics guide and TPS status tracker explain the processes.

What happens next

The fees take effect on October 16, 2026, and will be adjusted again for inflation next year. Some H.R. 1 fees do not change this year, including the $100 asylum application fee, the $280 fee for renewing a parole or TPS work permit, and the $250 Special Immigrant Juvenile fee. Follow changes on our US country page and the updates tracker.