Immigrants to pay more for all types of documents and processes
The approval of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” in July ushered a wave of cost increases for several immigration documents and processes.
U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services (USCIS) announced the new will take effect started July 22. USCIS said it will reject any form postmarked on or after August 21, 2025 without the proper fees.
New Costs
Many new forms have increased in price; some previously free forms now have a fee, including:
*Annual Asylum Fee (Form I-589): from $0 to $100
*Initial Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765): from $410 to $960
*Work Permit renewal: from $410 to $685
*Application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS, Form I-821, including biometrics): from $135 to $635
*Humanitarian parole renewal with work permit (Forms I-131 and I-765): from $390 to $665
According to USCIS, there will be no fee waivers for these additional costs, even if the applicant qualifies according to the traditional rules. The government agency also notes that these fee increases are necessary to keep up with the costs of services and processes.
In her immigration blog, lawyer Jessica Dominguez recommended that “if you’re about to file any of these documents, be sure to get informed and include the correct payment. These changes can affect many immigrant families, so it’s important to be prepared.”
Ana Valenzuela, a lawyer at Chicago-based Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan, PC, called the increased fees a “barrier to legal relief” for immigrants.
“The bill introduces asylum application fees and penalty fees – two policies that would disproportionately impact low-income immigrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution. These measures don’t just raise revenue – they deliberately create financial barriers to legal relief.
“Significantly, the bill introduces a slate of new fees and penalties aimed directly at immigrants and asylum seekers. Importantly, many of these fees are minimums that can be raised at any time and are also set to automatically increase every year with inflation.”
