New, Updated Immigration Fees; Employment Authorization Changes

The following article first appeared in the Insights section of Littler Mendelson’s website. It is reposted here with permission. 

With the enactment of the federal budget reconciliation bill—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—there are some noteworthy changes to USCIS fees applicable to some immigration benefits that have traditionally been free or of lower cost.

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.  Notably:

• There is a new fee for applications for asylum: $100
• There is a new Annual Asylum Fee for each calendar year the asylum application remains pending (USCIS will send individual alerts, payable online only): $100
• There is a changed fee for applications for Employment Authorization Documen for the following categories: asylum, parolee, and Temporary Protected Status categories. The categories are (a)(4), (a)(12), (c)(8), (c)(11), (c)(19), and (c)(34). The fees are:
  • For initial EAD applications: $550; and 
  • For renewal or extension EAD applications: $275
• There is a new fee for applications for Special Immigrant Juvenile: $250
• There is a changed fee to register for TPS: $500

The bill also changed validity periods for some EAD categories. Notably: 

• Parolees (EAD category C11): initial employment authorization is valid for 365 days or for the duration of the parole, whichever is shorter.
• Individuals with TPS (EAD categories A12/C19): initial employment authorization is valid for 365 days or for the duration of the TPS status, whichever is shorter. For renewal applications pending or filed on or after July 22, 2025, it may only be automatically extended for up to one year or the duration of TPS (whichever is shorter). 

Employers with employees employed under the above-mentioned EAD categories should be mindful of both the new fees, and particularly, the shortened duration of some EAD categories so that they timely complete reverification based on these new shortened validity periods.

About the author: Shin-I Lowe is a shareholder in Littler’s Miami office, representing domestic and multinational employers in connection with U.S. immigration-related employment issues in various industries.