U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will raise six fees on AsylumProtection granted to a person already in the United States or at a port of entry who meets the definition of a refugee and cannot safely return to their country.See it in the glossary, ParoleDiscretionary, temporary permission for a person who may be inadmissible to enter or remain in the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, set out in INA 212(d)(5). Parole is not an admission, and a paroled person is still treated as an applicant for admission.See it in the glossary and Temporary Protected Status (TPS)A designation that lets nationals of certain countries facing conflict or disaster stay and work in the United States temporarily.See it in the glossary filings on October 16, under an inflation notice the Department of Homeland Security filed Wednesday.
The increases range from $3 to $30. They come from a formula in H.R. 1, the 2025 budget law also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which requires USCIS to adjust these fees for inflation each fiscal year. Any request postmarked on or after October 16 without the correct fee will be rejected, according to the notice, which is scheduled to appear in the Federal RegisterThe daily journal of the U.S. government where proposed and final rules, notices and executive orders are published.See it in the glossary on October 1.
Which fees go up
| Fee | Current | New | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-589 annual asylum fee | $102 | $105 | +$3 |
| I-131 immigration parole fee | $1,020 | $1,050 | +$30 |
| I-765 initial asylum applicant work permit | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
| I-765 initial parole work permit | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
| I-765 initial TPS work permit | $560 | $570 | +$10 |
| I-821 TPS application | $510 | $520 | +$10 |
Which fees stay the same
- The initial I-589 asylum fee stays at $100.
- Renewals or extensions of parole, TPS and re-parole work permits stay at $280.
- The renewal or extension of an asylum applicant work permit stays at $275. The notice says H.R. 1 provides no inflation adjustment for that fee.
- The I-360 special immigrant juvenile fee stays at $250, and the I-94The Arrival/Departure Record that U.S. Customs and Border Protection creates when a nonimmigrant is admitted. It shows the class of admission and an Admit Until date, and most are now electronic and available on the CBP I-94 website. USCIS can also issue one when it approves an extension of stay or a change of status.See it in the glossary fee stays at $24.
Some fees did not move because of rounding. H.R. 1 requires most fees to be rounded down to the next lowest $10, so a $9.42 inflation amount on a $280 fee changes nothing. The annual asylum fee is rounded down to the nearest dollar instead.
How DHS calculated the increase
DHS used the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, which rose from 323.048 in July 2025 to 333.918 in July 2026, about 3.36 percent. The notice is signed by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. It follows the first annual adjustment, announced in November 2025 and effective January 1, 2026.
The annual asylum fee and the court order
The annual asylum fee applies to each year an asylum application stays pending. On August 5, Senior U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Massachusetts stayed the part of an April 2026 Interim final ruleA rule that takes effect without a prior comment period. The agency accepts public comments after it is published and may revise the rule afterward.See it in the glossary that let USCIS reject pending asylum applications and start Removal proceedingsThe formal court process, formerly called deportation, in which the government seeks to remove a noncitizen from the United States.See it in the glossary when the fee goes unpaid. The stay applies beyond the plaintiffs and lasts until the court issues a final ruling in Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts v. USCIS.
The judge denied the motion as to the other challenged policies, including the one-year limit on TPS work permits. The order stays the consequences for nonpayment, not the fee itself. The September 30 notice does not address the case.
For background on the affected filings, see TPS updates explained, the comparison of asylum-based work authorization and other work permits, and what happens after an asylum application is filed.