USCIS H.R. 1 Immigration Fees in 2026: What Applicants Must Pay

U.S. immigration fee information became unusually easy to misstate after Congress enacted Public Law 119-21 in 2025 and DHS later issued a 2026 interim final rule. Some statutory fees began to be collected in July 2025, while the April 29, 2026 interim final rule — 91 FR 22952 — became effective May 29, 2026 and codified additional H.R. 1-related fee and procedure rules. For applicants filing in 2026, there is no single universal fee amount or one-date shortcut. The amount actually due must be checked against the current USCIS Fee Schedule, Form G-1055, the specific form page and the USCIS Fee Calculator, together with any applicable rule or USCIS payment notice.

USCIS states that it announced new H.R. 1-related fees on July 18, 2025, with covered benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025 required to include the new charges and a later rejection date of August 21, 2025 for covered forms submitted without the proper fees. DHS then published a separate interim final rule on April 29, 2026. That rule did not originate every H.R. 1 fee, but it did codify specific statutory fee and procedure provisions and expressly took effect on May 29, 2026. A July 21, 2026 correcting amendment is effective July 21 and applicable as of May 29, 2026.

This guide explains how to verify current charges without turning a fast-changing fee schedule into a static promise. For a broader overview of visa and immigration costs, see the site’s U.S. Visa & Immigration Fees guide. USCIS form fees should still be checked directly against G-1055 immediately before filing.

What Changed Under Public Law 119-21?

Public Law 119-21 created additional immigration-related fees that USCIS must collect for certain filings or benefits. These statutory charges do not simply replace every existing USCIS filing fee. In many situations, the applicant may owe the ordinary fee associated with the form plus a separate additional fee required by the statute.

USCIS’s current G-1055 guidance is explicit: certain forms require additional fees along with any filing fee, those additional fees must be paid separately and concurrently, and the additional Public Law 119-21 charges are not eligible for fee waivers. Even when a form has a $0 filing fee or an applicant qualifies to request waiver of the ordinary USCIS filing fee, a separate statutory add-on may still remain due if the law requires it.

USCIS also warns that Public Law 119-21 fees adjust each year as required by law. That annual-adjustment rule is one reason a table copied from a 2025 article should not be treated as a permanent 2026 fee schedule. The amount that applied at implementation can differ from the current amount, and not every statutory fee applies to every filing category.

What the April 29, 2026 Interim Final Rule Changed

On April 29, 2026, DHS published the interim final rule titled USCIS Immigration Fees and Related Procedures Required by H.R.1 Reconciliation Bill, 91 FR 22952. The rule is effective May 29, 2026. DHS explained that it codifies four main areas: the Form I-94 fee requirement in 8 U.S.C. 1807 as it applies to USCIS; the Annual Asylum Fee requirement and consequences for nonpayment; the requirement that every asylum application include the statutory filing fee and that USCIS retain that fee even when the application is rejected; and H.R. 1 limits on the validity of certain Temporary Protected Status employment authorization.

USCIS also announced that the rule establishes a minimum $24 fee for Form I-102 in addition to other required fees. USCIS said it would reject a Form I-102 without the proper fee if postmarked on or after May 29, 2026. The rule therefore created a real May 29, 2026 compliance date for specific provisions even though many H.R. 1 fees had already begun to be collected in 2025.

The rule also addresses nonpayment of the Annual Asylum Fee. USCIS announced that, effective May 29, 2026, failure to pay the AAF can result in rejection of the pending Form I-589, with related consequences for employment authorization based on that asylum application. Applicants who receive a USCIS AAF notice should follow the notice and the current payment portal rather than relying on an older static article.

On July 21, 2026, DHS published a correcting amendment, 91 FR 45637, applicable as of May 29, 2026. The correction restored regulatory language providing a 30-day processing timeframe for initial employment authorization applications based on a pending asylum application under 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(8), and aligned the text with the new asylum-rejection mechanism. This correction did not erase the April 29 rule; it corrected a regulatory omission in that rule.

The Correct H.R. 1 Fee Timeline

Date	USCIS / DHS milestone
July 18, 2025	USCIS announced new fees required by the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill.
July 22, 2025	New fees applied to covered benefit requests postmarked on or after this date.
August 21, 2025	USCIS said it would reject covered forms postmarked on or after this date without the proper fees.
August 29, 2025	USCIS published a new edition of Form G-1055.
October 1, 2025	USCIS began sending Annual Asylum Fee notices to covered pending Form I-589 applicants.
October 16, 2025	USCIS began requiring the Immigration Parole Fee before certain covered parole-in-place or re-parole grants.
April 29, 2026	DHS published the H.R. 1 USCIS interim final rule at 91 FR 22952.
May 29, 2026	The April 29 interim final rule became effective, including the codified asylum, I-94/I-102 and TPS-related provisions within its scope.
July 21, 2026	DHS published a correcting amendment at 91 FR 45637; the correction is applicable as of May 29, 2026.

Applicants should distinguish the statute, the initial 2025 fee-collection dates, the April 29, 2026 rulemaking, the May 29, 2026 effective date, and later operational or correcting notices. All are real milestones, but they do not mean every H.R. 1 fee began on the same date. A filing that uses the current G-1055 and form-specific instructions is safer than a filing based on a headline that compresses all of those events into one date.

How to Check the Correct USCIS Fee in 2026

Start by identifying the exact form and filing category. Many USCIS forms have different fees depending on whether the applicant files online or on paper, the age or category of the applicant, the type of petitioner, the requested benefit or a statutory exemption. A broad statement such as “Form I-131 costs X” can be incomplete because the form covers more than one type of travel or parole request.

Next, open the current G-1055 Fee Schedule or USCIS Fee Calculator. USCIS describes the Fee Calculator as a tool that provides G-1055 information and is designed to reduce rejections caused by incorrect filing fees. The specific form page can also identify additional charges or special payment instructions.

Then look specifically for an “Additional Fee” required by Public Law 119-21. USCIS says these statutory fees must be paid separately from the ordinary filing fee. An applicant who submits one combined amount where separate payments are required can create a rejection risk even when the total dollars appear mathematically correct.

Finally, check the edition date, filing method and payment method immediately before submission. USCIS periodically updates forms, instructions and G-1055. A checklist that was accurate months earlier can become stale. The amount, online-versus-paper distinction and special filing category all need to match the actual submission.

• Identify the exact form and filing category.
• Check current Form G-1055 or the USCIS Fee Calculator.
• Look for any separate Public Law 119-21 additional fee.
• Confirm whether the ordinary filing fee is waivable and whether the statutory add-on is not.
• Pay separate fees separately when USCIS instructs you to do so.
• Recheck immediately before filing rather than relying on an old article total.

Annual Asylum Fee for Pending Form I-589 Cases

One of the most important Public Law 119-21 changes is the Annual Asylum Fee. USCIS states that it began sending notices on October 1, 2025 to covered people with pending Form I-589 applications. USCIS’s current G-1055 alert describes a $100 Annual Asylum Fee for each calendar year the application is pending and states that the fee cannot be waived.

The dedicated USCIS payment portal adds important eligibility detail. USCIS says a person whose asylum application was pending for the entire October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025 period must pay the fee. It also states that an I-589 filed after October 1, 2024 that remains pending for 365 days triggers the annual fee as of the one-year anniversary and each year thereafter while still pending on that date.

Applicants should follow the personal USCIS notice rather than guessing whether and when a payment is due. The portal says USCIS will issue notices that include the amount, due date, payment method and consequences of nonpayment, and that the system calculates the current cost. Because statutory fees can be adjusted, the current notice and G-1055 should control.

Immigration Parole Fee

Public Law 119-21 also created an Immigration Parole Fee that can apply when USCIS grants certain parole benefits. USCIS’s dedicated payment portal states that, beginning October 16, 2025, if USCIS determines it can approve a request for parole in place or a new period of parole and no exception applies, USCIS will notify the person to pay the Immigration Parole Fee before the agency grants parole.

That fee should not be confused with every filing fee associated with Form I-131 or with the concept of advance parole. The form may have its own filing structure, while a separate statutory fee can be triggered at a later grant stage in covered parole cases. The site’s Advance Parole guide explains travel-document context, but the current USCIS notice and G-1055 control the payment actually due.

The parole payment portal says the system automatically calculates the fee before payment. That is a useful model for fast-changing statutory fees: where USCIS provides a dedicated payment process, the current agency calculation should take priority over a hardcoded number in an older article.

Fee Waivers Do Not Automatically Cover H.R. 1 Additional Fees

A major source of confusion is the difference between the ordinary USCIS filing fee and an additional statutory fee. USCIS says certain applicants may qualify for a fee waiver for certain form filing fees, but the additional fees required by Public Law 119-21 are not waivable. A person can therefore potentially receive a waiver of the underlying USCIS fee and still owe a separate H.R. 1 charge.

Applicants should avoid a simplistic statement such as “my form fee is waived, so I owe nothing.” The correct questions are whether the filing has an ordinary USCIS fee, whether the person qualifies for an exemption or waiver of that fee, and whether a separate statutory charge applies independently.

The same distinction applies to a form listed with a $0 filing fee. USCIS expressly warns that a zero ordinary filing fee does not necessarily eliminate an additional Public Law 119-21 fee. The form category and additional-fee section of G-1055 must still be checked.

Why Separate Payments Matter

USCIS has emphasized separate payments in multiple filing contexts. The current G-1055 language says additional Public Law 119-21 fees must be paid separately and concurrently with any filing fee. USCIS form pages also warn in other contexts that a package can be rejected when multiple filing fees are combined into one payment while agency systems require them to be separate.

For paper filings, that can affect how checks, money orders or authorized card or ACH transactions are prepared. For online or dedicated payment portals, the system may calculate and collect the amount in a separate transaction. Applicants should follow the payment instructions for the exact form and filing method rather than assuming that one payment for the sum of all charges is acceptable.

A fee rejection can be costly because it delays the receipt date and may create downstream problems in a time-sensitive case. The safest workflow is to calculate first, separate charges correctly, and run a final fee check immediately before submission.

USCIS Fees vs. Department of State Visa Fees

USCIS filing fees and Department of State visa application fees are different systems. USCIS handles many petitions, adjustment applications, work authorization applications and other immigration benefits. The Department of State collects consular visa application fees. A person can therefore face charges at more than one stage of the same immigration strategy.

The Department of State currently lists $185 for most non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa applications, $205 for petition-based H, L, O, P, Q and R visa applications, and $315 for E treaty visas. Those amounts are not substitutes for USCIS petition filing fees. Likewise, a USCIS form fee does not automatically include later consular charges.

The site’s U.S. Visa & Immigration Fees 2026 guide provides a broader map of the different agencies. For a case-specific filing, the applicant should still check the agency that controls the exact form or visa step.

Fees Can Change by Filing Method and Category

A fee schedule is not always one form number equals one dollar amount. USCIS can list a different fee for online filing and paper filing, different categories within the same form, reduced fees for certain organizations, exemptions for specified requestors or additional charges created by statute. That is why the filing category matters as much as the form number.

Applicants should also distinguish a filing fee from a service requested after filing. Premium processing, biometrics in some contexts, fraud-related statutory fees and other additional charges can be governed by separate rules. The G-1055 entry and the form instructions identify which of those charges apply to the actual case.

When a family files several forms together, each form should be checked independently. When an employer files a petition and the worker later seeks a visa, the employer-side USCIS payment and the applicant-side Department of State payment are separate events. A single “total cost” published without these distinctions can be misleading.

Common USCIS Fee Mistakes in 2026

• Treating May 29, 2026 as either meaningless or universal: it is the real effective date of the April 29, 2026 USCIS H.R. 1 interim final rule, but many H.R. 1 fees were already implemented in 2025 and not every fee began on May 29.
• Copying a 2025 statutory amount into a 2026 filing without checking: USCIS says Public Law 119-21 fees adjust each year as required by law.
• Assuming a fee waiver covers every charge: USCIS says additional Public Law 119-21 fees are not eligible for fee waivers.
• Combining payments that USCIS requires separately: a correct mathematical total can still be submitted incorrectly.
• Confusing USCIS fees with consular visa fees: petitions, applications and visas can involve different agencies and separate charges.
• Ignoring a USCIS payment notice: Annual Asylum Fee and parole-fee obligations can depend on a notice, pending period or grant-stage determination.
• Using a general form number without the filing category: the same form can have different fees or additional charges depending on the benefit requested.

How to Build a Fee Checklist Before Filing

A practical fee checklist should be case-specific. Write down every form in the filing package, the filing category for each form, whether it will be submitted online or on paper, the ordinary USCIS filing fee, any additional Public Law 119-21 charge, whether an exemption or waiver is available for the ordinary fee, and the required payment method. Then compare every entry to G-1055 immediately before filing.

For a family-based Green Card package, the petitioner and applicant may use several forms and later encounter Department of State or USCIS charges at different stages. For a temporary worker, the employer’s petition fees are separate from the later visa application fee. For asylum or parole matters, a statutory fee can be triggered by a pending period or grant decision rather than only by the initial filing.

Applicants planning permanent residence can use the 2026 Green Card guide to understand the overall pathway, but the fee for every individual USCIS form must still come from current official fee information.

What to Do If You Already Paid the Wrong Fee

The first question is whether USCIS has accepted or rejected the filing. If the package is rejected before acceptance, the applicant should read the rejection notice, confirm the current fee and correct the payment issue before resubmission. A rejected filing generally does not have the same procedural posture as an accepted case, so time-sensitive deadlines should be reviewed carefully.

If USCIS has already accepted a filing and later issues a specific payment notice for an annual or grant-stage statutory fee, the applicant should follow that notice rather than sending an unsolicited payment. Dedicated payment portals often require a receipt number, A-Number or notice-specific information so the payment can be matched to the correct case.

Filing fees are generally nonrefundable once accepted for the government service, even if USCIS later denies the request or the applicant withdraws it. That makes accurate pre-filing verification more important than attempting to correct an avoidable payment error afterward.

Official Sources for USCIS Fees in 2026

According to USCIS (2026), Form G-1055 is the official Fee Schedule and should be used to verify fee information for immigration forms. USCIS also provides a Fee Calculator intended to reduce rejections from incorrect payments. G-1055 explains that certain Public Law 119-21 additional fees must be paid separately, are not eligible for fee waivers and adjust annually as required by law. For the 2026 regulatory layer, DHS published the April 29, 2026 interim final rule at 91 FR 22952 and a July 21, 2026 correcting amendment at 91 FR 45637.

USCIS’s Annual Asylum Fee portal explains who may owe the annual payment and states that USCIS sends personal notices with the amount, due date and payment instructions. The Immigration Parole Fee portal explains that USCIS notifies covered applicants to pay before certain parole-in-place or re-parole grants. These dedicated portals are more reliable for a current payment than a static number copied from an older page.

• USCIS — Form G-1055, Fee Schedule.
• USCIS — Fee Calculator.
• DHS / Federal Register — USCIS Immigration Fees and Related Procedures Required by H.R.1 Reconciliation Bill, 91 FR 22952 (April 29, 2026; effective May 29, 2026).
• DHS / Federal Register — Correcting amendment, 91 FR 45637 (July 21, 2026; applicable as of May 29, 2026).
• USCIS — Annual Asylum Fee payment portal and notices.
• USCIS — Immigration Parole Fee payment portal.
• U.S. Department of State — Fees for Visa Services for consular visa application charges.

The strongest 2026 fee strategy is simple: identify the exact filing, use the agency that controls that filing, check the current schedule immediately before submission and keep statutory add-ons separate from ordinary filing fees. That approach remains useful even when Congress or the agencies change individual fee amounts.