If you or a loved one in the Jacksonville area is preparing an asylum-related filing, a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) application, an initial work permit tied to asylum, parole, or TPS, or a parole-related Form I-131, mark your calendar. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced Fiscal Year 2027 inflation adjustments to certain immigration fees required by H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). The new amounts apply to requests postmarked on or after October 16, 2026, and filings with the wrong fee on or after that date can be rejected.

This update is separate from the recent EOIR (immigration court and Board of Immigration Appeals) fee adjustments that took effect October 1, 2026 for certain forms filed with the courts. Today's notice is about specific fees USCIS collects.

What changed

On September 30, 2026, USCIS announced that it had issued a Federal Register notice increasing certain H.R. 1 immigration-related fees for FY 2027. The notice (91 FR 62540; Document No. 2026-20187) was published October 1, 2026. USCIS describes the adjustments as minor and based on inflation from July 2025 through July 2026 (about 3.36% under the CPI-U method set out in H.R. 1).

According to USCIS, these fees are increasing:

- Annual Asylum Application Fee: from $102 to $105

- Form I-131, Immigration Parole Fee: from $1,020 to $1,050

- Form I-765, initial asylum applicant, parole, or TPS work permit (EAD): from $560 to $570

- Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status: from $510 to $520

Not every H.R. 1 fee goes up this round. After inflation is applied and rounded down as the statute requires, some amounts stay the same. Examples include the initial I-589 asylum filing fee at $100, the I-360 Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) fee at $250, certain I-765 renewal and extension amounts, and the I-94 immigration fee at $24. Always confirm the exact fee for your form and category before you file.

Who is affected

Jacksonville families and individuals should pay close attention if they are:

- Paying the annual fee while an asylum application remains pending

- Filing Form I-821 for TPS

- Filing an initial Form I-765 for an asylum-based, parole-based, or TPS-based work permit

- Paying the Immigration Parole Fee tied to Form I-131 in covered situations

If your package is postmarked on or after October 16, 2026, USCIS says you must include the new fee. Any request postmarked on or after that date without the proper fee will be rejected.

Practical implications for Northeast Florida clients

A rejection for the wrong fee is not a small paperwork hiccup. It can delay work authorization, TPS protection, parole-related requests, and other time-sensitive steps. For households budgeting carefully, especially asylum and TPS families, even a $10 to $30 increase matters when stacked with other filing and attorney costs. Plan early. Confirm which H.R. 1 fee applies to your exact filing, whether any other USCIS fee also applies, and whether your submission date falls before or after October 16, 2026.

Do not confuse this USCIS schedule with immigration court (EOIR) fees. Court and BIA filings follow EOIR's own amounts and effective dates. If you have both a USCIS application and a case in Immigration Court, check each fee schedule separately.

What to do now

- If you plan to file Form I-821, an initial asylum, parole, or TPS I-765, a covered I-131 parole fee, or an annual asylum fee, confirm whether your submission will be postmarked before or after October 16, 2026.

- If you will file on or after October 16, use the new FY 2027 amounts listed by USCIS, not older fee charts or last year's receipts.

- Double-check the form instructions and USCIS fee pages close to filing day, since annual adjustments can change some line items even when others stay flat.

- Keep proof of how and when you paid: receipts, money order stubs, online confirmations, and a copy of the complete package.

- If your case also involves Immigration Court or the BIA, verify EOIR fees separately.

- When in doubt, speak with counsel before you mail or submit. A rejected package costs time you may not have.

Fee schedules change quickly, and a rejected filing can put work authorization, TPS, and family plans at risk. Bilbao Law helps Jacksonville-area families and individuals with USCIS filings, asylum and humanitarian protection, TPS, work permits, waivers, and immigration court matters. For attorney review of your situation, visit bilbaolaw.com.

Official sources

- USCIS newsroom alert (Sept. 30, 2026), "USCIS Announces FY 2027 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees": https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-fy-2027-inflation-increase-for-certain-immigration-related-fees

- Federal Register notice (Oct. 1, 2026), 91 FR 62540, Document No. 2026-20187, "Fiscal Year 2027 Inflation Adjustment to H.R. 1 Immigration Fees": https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/01/2026-20187/fiscal-year-2027-inflation-adjustment-to-hr-1-immigration-fees

Disclaimer: This post is general information and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. Outcomes and exact fee totals depend on the facts of each case and the official fee schedules in effect on the filing date. For advice about your situation, contact Bilbao Law (bilbaolaw.com).