Immigration Update: DHS Raises H.R. 1 Immigration Fees 3.36% for FY 2027 - New Amounts Apply to Filings Postmarked On or After October 16
What changed
On October 1, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published three Federal Register notices raising the immigration fees created by H.R. 1 for fiscal year 2027. One notice comes from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, one from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and one from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
All three apply the same adjustment: 3.36 percent, measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers from July 2025 to July 2026 (323.048 to 333.918).
Publication date: October 1, 2026. Effective date: October 16, 2026 - fifteen days from publication.
The USCIS notice is explicit about how the date works: "The fees announced in this notice are effective on or after October 16, 2026. Any immigration benefit request postmarked on or after October 16, 2026 without the proper filing fee will be rejected."
USCIS filing fees (FR Doc. 2026-20187)
Form I-589, annual pending asylum application fee: $102 to $105
Form I-765, initial employment authorization (asylum applicant): $560 to $570
Form I-821, Temporary Protected Status: $510 to $520
Form I-131, immigration parole: $1,020 to $1,050
CBP traveler fees (FR Doc. 2026-20185)
ESTA authorization (Visa Waiver Program travelers): $40.27 to $40.62
EVUS enrollment (Chinese nationals): $30.75 to $31.75
HR-1 parole fee: $1,020 to $1,050
The H.R. 1 portion of the Form I-94 fee is unchanged.
CBP begins assessing the fiscal year 2027 amounts on October 16, 2026.
ICE enforcement fees (FR Doc. 2026-20186)
The ICE notice raises two enforcement-related amounts from $5,130 to $5,300. These are penalties tied to removal and apprehension, not filing fees, and they do not apply to any ordinary benefit application.
What applicants should know
The postmark date is what counts. A filing postmarked on or before October 15, 2026 carries the current fee. A filing postmarked October 16 or later must carry the new amount, and the USCIS notice says a request sent without the proper fee will be rejected. A rejection is not a denial, but it does send the package back and costs you the filing date.
The dollar amounts are small; the deadline is not. Most of these increases are between $3 and $30. The risk is not the money - it is a package that goes out in the third week of October with a check written for the old amount and comes back rejected.
Who this reaches. Asylum applicants with pending cases, TPS applicants and re-registrants, parole applicants, people filing for employment authorization on an asylum, parole or TPS basis, Visa Waiver Program travelers using ESTA, and Chinese nationals enrolling in EVUS.
ESTA and EVUS need no action. Those fees are charged automatically when you apply. Travelers should simply expect the new amount.
One open question. The notices do not address filings postmarked within a day or two of the cutoff, and no transition or grace-period instruction was published with them. If your filing will go out close to October 16, build in margin rather than relying on one.
What this is not. This adjustment does not change eligibility, processing times, or any requirement other than the fee amount. It is an annual inflation adjustment required by statute, not a policy change.
How we can help
Our consultants are former U.S. diplomats who adjudicated these cases inside U.S. embassies and consulates. If you have an asylum, TPS, parole or employment authorization filing in preparation, we can review where your package stands, what it needs before it goes out, and whether the October 16 date affects your timing.
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