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On January 12, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule that will increase fees associated with its Premium Processing Service. The increased fees will take effect on March 1, 2026, and are based on inflation measured from June 2023 through June 2025.
Quick Hits
- Requests for USCIS’s Premium Processing Service postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, must include the new fee.
- The premium processing fee for Form I-129 nonimmigrant worker petitions requesting classifications such as E-3, H-1B, L-1, O-1, and TN will increase to $2,965.
- The premium processing fee for Form I-140 immigrant petitions requesting classification in employment-based categories will increase to $2,965.
- The premium processing fee for certain Form I-539 and Form I-765 applications will also increase to $2,075 and $1,780, respectively.
These updated fees will apply to any Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, filed with USCIS, and postmarked on or after March 1, 2026. The revenue generated from these fee increases will be used to support premium processing services, enhance adjudication processes, reduce existing backlogs, and provide funding for USCIS adjudication and naturalization services.
Increased Premium Processing Fees
| Form and Classifications Sought | Prior Fee | New Fee |
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker H-2B; R-1 | $1,685 | $1,780 |
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker E-1; E-2; E-3; H-1B; H-3; L-1A; L-1B; LZ; O-1; O-2; P-1; P-1S; P-2; P-2S; P-3; P-3S; Q-1; TN-1; TN-2 | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker E-11 (Extraordinary Ability); E-12 (Outstanding Researcher or Professor); E-13 (Multinational Executive or Manager); E-21 (Professionals Holding an Advanced Degree or Person Who Has Exceptional Ability, both Seeking a National Interest Waiver (NIW) and Not Seeking an NIW); E-31 (Skilled Worker); E-32 (Professional); EW-3 (Unskilled (Other) Worker) | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status F-1; F-2; J-1; J-2; M-1; M-2 | $1,965 | $2,075 |
| Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization OPT; STEM OPT | $1,685 | $1,780 |
Next Steps
Under the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security maintains authority to adjust USCIS’s premium processing fees every two years to account for inflation, which last occurred in February 2024. Employers and applicants may wish to be mindful of the fee increases and the date on which their requests for premium processing service are postmarked when filing, as requests that are filed with incorrect fees will be rejected.
