US visa and immigration fees increase: New USCIS charges effective October 16

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is set to increase fees for several immigration-related applications from October 16, 2026, with the revised charges linked to inflation adjustments mandated under H.R. 1. Applications and requests postmarked on or after October 16 will have to carry the updated fees, or they may be rejected, according to an official Federal Register notice.

The fee revisions will affect applications related to asylum, employment authorisation, temporary protected status (TPS) and immigration parole. The changes are based on inflation between July 2025 and July 2026.

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US immigration fee changes from October 16

The annual asylum application fee will rise from $102 to $105, while the immigration parole fee under Form I-131 will increase from $1,020 to $1,050. The initial employment authorisation fee for certain asylum applicants, parole applicants and TPS beneficiaries will move from $560 to $570. The Form I-821 fee for TPS applications will increase from $510 to $520.

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EB-5 investor visa fees to see a much bigger jump

Separately, USCIS has finalised a new fee rule for the EB-5 immigrant investor programme, which will take effect from November 30, 2026. The programme provides a pathway to US permanent residency for qualifying foreign investors and their immediate family members.

Under the new rules, the filing fee for Form I-526, used by standalone EB-5 investors, will rise from $3,675 to $7,615. The initial Form I-526E filing for investors using an approved regional centre will increase from $3,675 to $7,850. Both include the $75 EB-5 technology fee.

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The new EB-5 fee schedule also sets fees of $44,115 for an initial Form I-956 regional-centre designation, $9,835 for an amendment, and $42,675 for Form I-956F, which is used for approval of an investment in a commercial enterprise.

Regional-centre investors will also face higher integrity-related charges. The I-526E Integrity Fund fee will rise from $1,000 to $1,100, while certain regional-centre fees will increase from $10,000 to $11,000 and from $20,000 to $22,000.

(INR figures are approximate, calculated at $1 = ₹96.31 based on the October 1, 2026 closing rate.)