USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fee
Updated January 12, 2026
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the premium processing fee will increase effective March 1, 2026.
USCIS Form | Current Fee | New Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for H-1B/E-3/O-1/TN petitions | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, for permanent residency petitions | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, for change of status applications | $1,965 | $2,075 |
| Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for certain eligible applications (such as Post-completion OPT and STEM-OPT) | $1,685 | $1,780 |
Timeline
- Petitions/applications submitted to USCIS by mail that are postmarked before the effective date can include the current fee.
- However, the new fee will be required for petitions/applications postmarked on or after the effective date.
- It is not about the mailing date, but the postmarked date of applicable petitions and applications to USCIS.
- For H-1B petitions filed by Emory, ISSS advisors will reach out to departments on a case-by-case basis to confirm the required fee amount. Where possible, we will aim to submit petitions before the effective date of the new fee amount.
Background
- Premium processing is an optional service to expedite the government processing time. It is not a required fee.
- For Form I-129 (H-1B/E-3/O-1/TN), the premium processing timeframe is 15 business days.
- For Form I-539 and Form I-765 (e.g. for F-1 OPT), the premium processing timeframe is 30 business days.
If you have any questions, please contact your ISSS advisor.