USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fee Starting March 1, 2026
On January 9, 2026, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be increasing the premium processing fees. For nonimmigrant I-129 visa petitions and I-140 immigrant visa petitions, the premium processing fee will increase from $2805 to $2965. The new fees will apply to Form I-907 requests for premium processing filed on or after March 1, 2026.
Below is a summary of the new premium processing fees effective March 1, 2026:
| Form | Previous Fee | New Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (E, H, L, O, P, TN) | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3) | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, requesting F, J, and M | $1,965 | $2,075 |
| Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for certain eligible applications (OPT and STEM-OPT Classifications) | $1,685 | $1,780 |
This fee increase is based on the USCIS Stabilization Act, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to adjust premium processing fees every two years to account for inflation. In addition to supporting the premium processing services, the revenues from the fee increase will be utilized by the USCIS to make improvements to adjudication processes; respond to adjudication demands, including processing backlogs; and otherwise fund adjudication and naturalization services.