U.S. Immigration Fees Change on October 16: What Albanian Applicants Should Check
Albanians preparing certain immigration applications in the United States should pay attention to a fee update taking effect on October 16, 2026. An official notice published in the Federal Register announces inflation adjustments to specific immigration fees administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under H.R. 1. The change affects selected fees rather than every immigration application. 2026-20187
Among the adjustments, the H.R. 1 fee for an initial employment authorization document for an asylum applicant increases from $560 to $570. The corresponding initial work authorization fee for certain applicants granted immigration parole also rises from $560 to $570. Applicants should check the complete USCIS fee schedule for their category, because these amounts concern the fees listed in this particular notice. govinfo.gov
Several fees remain unchanged. The notice keeps the initial asylum application fee at $100 and the H.R. 1 fee for renewing or extending an asylum applicant’s employment authorization at $275. This means applicants should distinguish between an initial request and a renewal rather than assume the same increase applies to both. govinfo.gov
The mailing date matters. USCIS says covered applications postmarked on or after October 16 must include the correct updated filing fee. Requests sent from that date without the proper payment will be rejected. For someone preparing documents now, an incorrect payment could therefore interrupt the submission before the application is processed. govinfo.gov
Work authorization applications also follow different procedures depending on the applicant’s immigration category. USCIS identifies pending asylum applications under Form I-765 category (c)(8) and explains that its published processing timeframes cover both initial and renewal filings in that category. Other categories can depend on a separate immigration decision before USCIS begins adjudicating the work authorization request. egov.uscis.gov
For Albanian applicants, the practical significance is straightforward: identify the exact application category, check whether the request is initial or a renewal, and verify the applicable payment before submitting it. This announcement changes certain fees; it does not announce a general ban on applications from Albanians. Its scope is the specified inflation adjustments and their implementation date.