US immigration fees to rise effective today: Will H-1B workers, students and green card applicants from India pay more?

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased several immigration-related fees, including fees associated with applications for asylum, employment authorization, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and certain parole benefits. The changes are effective as of today, October 16, 2026

These changes are related to the annual inflation adjustment mandated under the HR 1 Reconciliation Act. Previously, USCIS mentioned that the revisions account for inflation between July 2025 and July 2026 and are relatively small.

According to the September 30 notification, the revised charges will come into force on October 16. Applicants who postmark applications on or after this date must include the updated fee applicable to their immigration benefit. Applications submitted with an incorrect fee may be rejected.

Which US immigration fees have increased?

The revised fees include four categories of immigration-related fees.

Will H-1B workers, students and green card applicants pay more?

The latest revision does not introduce a general fee increase for all H-1B workers, international students, or green card applicants from India.

H-1B workers and international students are not automatically subject to these revised fees simply because they hold these visa categories. The same applies to green card applicants: the announcement does not prescribe a blanket increase in green card application fees.

However, individuals in these groups who are applying separately for an immigration benefit covered by the revised calendar may be affected depending on their circumstances.

What should Indian applicants do?

The fee changes apply to Indians living in the US who are applying for specified benefits, including those seeking employment authorization or TPS.

Applicants should check whether their application falls into one of the affected categories and check the applicable fee before submitting. USCIS has warned that applications postmarked on or after October 16 with the incorrect fee will be rejected.

The notice does not state that every pending immigration application will automatically be charged. Adjusted fees apply to applications postmarked on or after the effective date that require one of the adjusted payments.

For Indian applicants, the key distinction is between these targeted immigration fee increases and the separate fees that may apply to visa applications, visa applications and green card processing.