The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has published its inflation-linked fee schedule for fiscal 2026, increasing charges for Employment Authorisation Documents, Temporary Protected Status and several parole services by roughly 2 per cent. The new prices take effect for petitions post-marked 1 January 2026.
While seemingly modest, the rise comes on top of the ‘visa integrity surcharge’ enacted in July 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill, meaning total filing costs for an H-1B employee have climbed 18 per cent year-on-year. Indian tech firms that sponsor large cohorts of engineers say their average compliance budget per assignee will rise by USD 460.
![USCIS Unveils FY 2026 Fee Hikes—Indian Applicants Face Higher Costs from 1 Jan 2026]()
For prospective Indian students and start-up founders, higher ancillary fees (e.g., for OPT EAD renewals) could influence destination choice just as Canada and the UK tighten post-study work options. Immigration counsel advise pre-paying when possible and front-loading bulk petitions in December to beat the deadline.
The changes do not affect premium processing or the H-1B lottery fee, but DHS hinted that additional CPI-linked increases will follow annually.
While seemingly modest, the rise comes on top of the ‘visa integrity surcharge’ enacted in July 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill, meaning total filing costs for an H-1B employee have climbed 18 per cent year-on-year. Indian tech firms that sponsor large cohorts of engineers say their average compliance budget per assignee will rise by USD 460.
For prospective Indian students and start-up founders, higher ancillary fees (e.g., for OPT EAD renewals) could influence destination choice just as Canada and the UK tighten post-study work options. Immigration counsel advise pre-paying when possible and front-loading bulk petitions in December to beat the deadline.
The changes do not affect premium processing or the H-1B lottery fee, but DHS hinted that additional CPI-linked increases will follow annually.
