The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced new immigration-related fees for several visa categories, including asylum, parole, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), effective from July 22, 2025.
According to a federal register notice released by USCIS on July 18, 2025, the new fees were introduced under a U.S. law known as H.R. 1.
The fees are non-waivable and will apply to applicants in Nigeria and other countries seeking U.S. immigration.
The agency clarified that all applications submitted from July 22 must include the new fees. Applications postmarked on or after August 21, 2025, that do not include these fees will be rejected.
Breakdown of the new charges
Under the new rule, a $100 application fee has been introduced for Form I-589, application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal.
Additionally, a new $100 Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) will be imposed on all pending Form I-589 applications for each year they remain unresolved. USCIS said this AAF must be paid online, and personal notices will be issued to applicants when payment is due.
USCIS will also begin charging the following for employment authorization under specific categories:
- $550 for initial EAD (Employment Authorization Document) applications, and
- $275 for EAD renewals or extensions, specifically for asylum, parolee, and Temporary Protected Status categories such as (a)(4), (a)(12), (c)(8), (c)(11), (c)(19), and (c)(34).
- For aliens applying for re-parole using Form I-131, the EAD fee will be reduced to $275, aligning with the H.R.1 fee structure.
- Another notable change includes a $250 filing fee for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) cases under Form I-360.
- Also, the cost to register for Temporary Protected Status using Form I-821 will increase tenfold from $50 to $500.
Fee structure
USCIS confirmed that the new fees are in addition to those already established under 8 CFR part 106. This means they will be charged in addition to the current USCIS fees and cannot be waived or reduced, unlike existing fees, which may be waived under certain conditions using Form I-912 or a written request.
“Applicants must submit the new fees with benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025.
“USCIS will reject any form postmarked on or after Aug. 21, 2025, without the proper fees,” the agency said.
USCIS also confirmed that some fee changes under H.R.1, such as those related to Form I-131 and Form I-102 will be announced in a future Federal Register Notice and are not covered under this implementation phase.
Validity changes for work permits
USCIS also announced that the duration of work permits will depend on the category of application. For example:
- For parolees, initial EADs will be valid for no more than one year or until the end of their parole, whichever is shorter.
- For TPS beneficiaries, both initial and renewal EADs will be valid for no more than one year or the duration of TPS status, whichever is shorter.
