If you have an immigration filing pending in the United States, there is a date you should mark on your calendar: October 16, 2026. From that day forward, USCIS will apply new fees to certain asylum, parole, TPS, and work permit processes.
And there is a detail that could be costly: if you submit an application with an incorrect payment, USCIS may reject it.
What are the new USCIS fees starting in October?
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will adjust some charges for Fiscal Year 2027. The change stems from an inflation adjustment mechanism established by federal law.
According to information published by Infobae and the data in the new fee schedule, the main changes are:
Not all immigrants will have to pay these four charges. The amount depends on the filing you submit and your immigration category.
From when will you have to pay the new immigration fees?
The change begins on October 16, 2026.
The date is especially important if you are preparing documents to mail. According to information disseminated by USCIS, applications subject to these charges must use the new fees when they bear a postmark dated October 16 or later.
That means it is not enough to have started preparing the file weeks earlier.
If your package goes out after the deadline, you will need to confirm that the payment corresponds to the new tariff schedule.
What happens if you pay an USCIS fee incorrectly?
USCIS may reject a filing when the required payment is not correct. It is not simply a matter of the agency charging you the difference and continuing the process.
An error of $10 on a work permit, for example, may seem small compared with the total cost of an immigration process. But if it triggers a rejection, you may waste time and have to resubmit the documentation.
That is why it is prudent to verify the cost right before submitting any form. USCIS uses Form G-1055, known as the Fee Schedule, to publish the current fees for its services.
Who is affected by the new USCIS charges?
The changes mainly affect people who hold or seek certain immigration benefits.
Asylum applicants
The annual charge for certain pending asylum cases will rise to $105.
This payment should not be confused with other costs that may apply to an asylum application. It is a specific charge for certain pending cases.
People with TPS
Those seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will face an increase in the corresponding charge established by law.
The new amount will be $520, although the total cost of a case can vary depending on what other forms and services pertain to the case.
People applying for a work permit
The cost of certain initial employment authorization applications will rise to $570.
Here too one must be careful: not all work permits cost $570. The fee depends on the immigration category and the applicable form.
What should you check before submitting your immigration filing?
If you are planning to file in October, I wouldn’t leave this step for the last minute. Review:
The easiest mistake is to search on Google for how much a filing cost a few months ago and assume that price is still in effect.
Don’t do that.
USCIS can modify its fees and the instructions for each form. An old search can lead you to send a check or payment for an amount that no longer matches.
For an immigrant who is gathering funds to keep their case in order, $10 or $30 may seem like a small difference. But when that error can result in a rejection, it stops being a trivial detail.
The most sensible recommendation is to check the official tariff right before submitting the filing and keep a copy of the payment receipt. In an immigration process, having the correct documents matters. Paying the correct amount also.
