U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began the new year by implementing an updated fee schedule—its first inflation adjustment since 2024. Effective January 1, 2026, the changes affect a swath of applications central to corporate mobility programs, including Forms I-131 (travel documents), I-765 (work authorization), I-821 (Temporary Protected Status) and I-589 (asylum).
Most fees rose between 6 % and 12 %, reflecting Consumer Price Index increases for the 24-month look-back period. For example, the Form I-765 fee jumped from US $520 to US $565, while the I-131 advance-parole fee increased from US $575 to US $630. Human-resources departments must now use the updated G-1055 fee table or risk rejection for incorrect payment amounts.
![New USCIS Fee Schedule Now Mandatory for All Filings]()
For employers and individual applicants seeking a streamlined way to verify the latest USCIS fees, VisaHQ provides an online platform with real-time fee calculators, document checklists, and filing guidance. Their U.S. immigration resource center (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) helps HR teams and travelers confirm the correct forms, generate cover letters, and avoid costly rejections tied to outdated payment amounts.
The new tariff structure arrives as employers grapple with other cost escalators, including premium-processing hikes set for March and a possible US $100,000 H-1B filing surcharge that is being litigated in the D.C. Circuit. Companies with high volumes of STEM OPT renewals or humanitarian parole applications will feel the greatest budget impact.
USCIS justified the increases by citing rising payroll and technology costs, as well as a mandate to improve customer-service backlogs. Critics counter that higher prices without processing-time guarantees amount to an “efficiency tax” on legal immigration. Either way, global-mobility teams should revise cost estimates, update checklists, and communicate the changes to assignees immediately. (Source: Berry Appleman & Leiden)
Most fees rose between 6 % and 12 %, reflecting Consumer Price Index increases for the 24-month look-back period. For example, the Form I-765 fee jumped from US $520 to US $565, while the I-131 advance-parole fee increased from US $575 to US $630. Human-resources departments must now use the updated G-1055 fee table or risk rejection for incorrect payment amounts.
For employers and individual applicants seeking a streamlined way to verify the latest USCIS fees, VisaHQ provides an online platform with real-time fee calculators, document checklists, and filing guidance. Their U.S. immigration resource center (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) helps HR teams and travelers confirm the correct forms, generate cover letters, and avoid costly rejections tied to outdated payment amounts.
The new tariff structure arrives as employers grapple with other cost escalators, including premium-processing hikes set for March and a possible US $100,000 H-1B filing surcharge that is being litigated in the D.C. Circuit. Companies with high volumes of STEM OPT renewals or humanitarian parole applications will feel the greatest budget impact.
USCIS justified the increases by citing rising payroll and technology costs, as well as a mandate to improve customer-service backlogs. Critics counter that higher prices without processing-time guarantees amount to an “efficiency tax” on legal immigration. Either way, global-mobility teams should revise cost estimates, update checklists, and communicate the changes to assignees immediately. (Source: Berry Appleman & Leiden)
