On 6 February, the Department of Homeland Security published its long-anticipated inflation adjustment for premium-processing service in the Federal Register, triggering higher fees for every Form I-907 received on or after **1 March 2026**. The increase averages 6-7 percent across case types and is calculated under the USCIS Stabilization Act, which authorises biennial adjustments tied to the Consumer Price Index.
Key changes include: (1) H-1B-related premium processing rising from US$2,805 to **US$2,965**; (2) H-2B, R-1 and F/M/J student-related filings climbing from US$1,685 to **US$1,780**; and (3) immigrant-worker Form I-140 requests increasing to **US$2,965**. Petitions post-marked on or after 1 March with the old fee will be rejected.
Organisations that prefer a single platform to monitor filing deadlines, generate compliant forms, and arrange consular documentation may find it useful to partner with VisaHQ. Through its U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), the company provides step-by-step digital workflows and live support that dovetail with counsel-driven USCIS filings, reducing administrative time and minimising the risk of missed fee changes.
![USCIS Issues Final Rule Raising Premium-Processing Fees Effective 1 March 2026]()
For corporate mobility programmes, the bump—though modest—could add tens of thousands of dollars in un-budgeted costs during the busy April H-1B petition-filing period and throughout merger-driven amendment cycles. Counsel recommend locking in current rates by filing upgrades before the cut-off where possible and factoring the new amounts into 2026 relocation budgets.
USCIS says additional revenue will help sustain its 15-, 30- and 45-day adjudication guarantees, reduce backlogs, and fund technology upgrades. Nevertheless, critics argue that, combined with the newly-proposed base-fee increases (now under separate OMB review), the adjustment risks pricing small businesses and research institutions out of the programme.
Employers should update cheque matrices, legal-billing templates, and HR guidance to prevent rejections that could jeopardise work-authorisation continuity. Beneficiaries on STEM-OPT awaiting cap-gap coverage are particularly vulnerable to timing errors that delay start dates.
In parallel, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is urging USCIS to pilot partial refunds when the agency misses its processing clock—a measure not included in the final rule.
Key changes include: (1) H-1B-related premium processing rising from US$2,805 to **US$2,965**; (2) H-2B, R-1 and F/M/J student-related filings climbing from US$1,685 to **US$1,780**; and (3) immigrant-worker Form I-140 requests increasing to **US$2,965**. Petitions post-marked on or after 1 March with the old fee will be rejected.
Organisations that prefer a single platform to monitor filing deadlines, generate compliant forms, and arrange consular documentation may find it useful to partner with VisaHQ. Through its U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), the company provides step-by-step digital workflows and live support that dovetail with counsel-driven USCIS filings, reducing administrative time and minimising the risk of missed fee changes.
For corporate mobility programmes, the bump—though modest—could add tens of thousands of dollars in un-budgeted costs during the busy April H-1B petition-filing period and throughout merger-driven amendment cycles. Counsel recommend locking in current rates by filing upgrades before the cut-off where possible and factoring the new amounts into 2026 relocation budgets.
USCIS says additional revenue will help sustain its 15-, 30- and 45-day adjudication guarantees, reduce backlogs, and fund technology upgrades. Nevertheless, critics argue that, combined with the newly-proposed base-fee increases (now under separate OMB review), the adjustment risks pricing small businesses and research institutions out of the programme.
Employers should update cheque matrices, legal-billing templates, and HR guidance to prevent rejections that could jeopardise work-authorisation continuity. Beneficiaries on STEM-OPT awaiting cap-gap coverage are particularly vulnerable to timing errors that delay start dates.
In parallel, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is urging USCIS to pilot partial refunds when the agency misses its processing clock—a measure not included in the final rule.
