Several immigration fees created by last year’s H.R. 1, the law often called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, are going up this fall. Two federal notices released this week raise the fees for parole, Temporary Protected Status, the yearly asylum fee and several forms filed in immigration court, along with the small charges travelers pay for ESTA and EVUS. The increases are modest, most between $1 and $50, but anyone filing in the coming weeks needs to send the right amount.
The law requires these fees to be adjusted each year for inflation. Both notices use the rise in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers between July 2025 and July 2026, which they put at roughly 3.4 percent.
The first notice, from the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, was published in the Federal Register on September 29 and takes effect October 1. It covers certain Homeland Security forms that are filed with an immigration judge. The fee for an adjustment of status application (Form I-485) filed in immigration court rises from $1,540 to $1,590. A waiver of inadmissibility on Form I-601 goes from $1,070 to $1,100. The Temporary Protected Status application, Form I-821, rises from $510 to $520, and the annual fee for a pending asylum case goes from $102 to $105. The $100 fee for an initial asylum application stays the same. The notice says it applies only to the fees set by H.R. 1, not to the regular fees that Homeland Security sets through its own fee rules.
The second notice, from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is on public inspection and is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on October 1. According to the document, its changes take effect 15 days after publication. The fee for being paroled into the United States rises from $1,020 to $1,050. The ESTA fee paid by travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries goes from $40.27 to $40.62, and the fee for a denied ESTA application rises from $10.27 to $10.62. The EVUS enrollment fee, which applies to Chinese nationals holding 10-year visitor visas, goes from $30.75 to $31.75. The Form I-94 fee at land borders does not change this year, because the law’s rounding rule for that fee produces no increase.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has also posted an alert announcing a fiscal year 2027 inflation increase for certain immigration-related fees. Several points remain unclear. It is not yet confirmed exactly which USCIS work permit fees change or when, and none of the notices reviewed here explains in detail how a filing mailed before an effective date but received after it will be treated. Readers should also note the two notices use different effective dates, October 1 for the immigration court fees and about mid-October for the CBP fees.
If you plan to file a TPS application, an asylum-related payment or a court-filed adjustment or waiver application in the next few weeks, check the fee on the day you file and send the new amount for anything filed on or after the effective date. An underpaid filing can be rejected, which can cost time you may not have. Travelers applying for ESTA or updating EVUS will see the new charge automatically when they pay online.
Anyone whose case is in immigration court should confirm the correct fee with their attorney or the court before paying, because the fee and payment process for court-filed forms can differ from a filing made directly with USCIS. For the USCIS work permit fees, wait for the agency’s official fee schedule update before relying on any figure.
Source: Executive Office for Immigration Review, Inflation Adjustment for EOIR OBBBA Fees for Certain DHS Forms; Fiscal Year 2027 (Federal Register, Sept. 29, 2026); U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Certain DHS Immigration-Related Fees Required by HR-1: Fiscal Year 2027 Adjustments for Inflation (Federal Register public inspection, scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026); USCIS alert, USCIS Announces FY 2027 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees
This article is for general information and is not legal advice. The situation is changing quickly, so please consult an immigration attorney about your specific case.
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