If you work in tech on a visa (or are sponsoring someone who does), the 2026 fee headlines are confusing: some fees went up on January 1, some didn't, and a few are frozen by federal courts. Here is the short, sourced version.
What actually changed on January 1, 2026
Only the statutory fees created by H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025) were adjusted — about +2.7% for inflation, rounded down to the nearest $10, per the Federal Register notice of November 21, 2025:
| H.R. 1 fee | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Initial EAD (work permit) add-on — asylum/parole/TPS | $550 | $560 |
| EAD renewal add-on — parole/TPS | $275 | $280 |
| TPS registration (I-821) | $500 | $510 |
| Parole fee | $1,000 | $1,020 (paused for some groups) |
| Annual asylum fee | $100 | $102 (stayed by court order) |
What did NOT change
Everything from the April 2024 fee rule stays the same in 2026:
- I-485 (green card / adjustment of status, adult): $1,440
- I-130 (family petition): $675
- N-400 (naturalization): $760 paper / $710 online
- I-765 (EAD standalone base): $520 paper / $470 online — $260 if filed with a pending I-485
- H-1B (I-129) base: $730, plus ACWIA training fee, fraud fee, and optional premium processing ($2,805)
The $250 Visa Integrity Fee
Since October 1, 2025, most nonimmigrant visas — H-1B, L-1, O-1, F-1, B-1/B-2, K-1 — carry a $250 Visa Integrity Fee, collected by the State Department when the visa is issued, on top of the regular MRV application fee. Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) travelers, most Canadians, and diplomatic categories are exempt. The law allows a refund after the visa expires if you complied with its terms, but no refund procedure has been published yet, so budget it as a cost.
If you're getting an H-1B stamped abroad in 2026, that's the extra $250 nobody told you about.
Courts have paused some of this
Litigation over H.R. 1 fees is active. The annual asylum fee is stayed, and USCIS paused collecting certain fees from Ms. L. v. ICE settlement class members starting February 5, 2026. What USCIS actually collects can change month to month — always check the official G-1055 fee schedule before mailing a payment. A rejected filing over a wrong fee amount costs you months.
Add it up for your own case
I maintain a free, no-signup USCIS fee calculator that stacks the base fee + H.R. 1 add-ons + optional fees per form, and a full 2026 fee-increase breakdown with before/after tables.
Not legal advice. Figures current as of July 2026 per USCIS G-1055 and the Federal Register; several H.R. 1 fees are subject to active litigation — verify at USCIS.gov before paying.
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