USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees | USCIS
Today the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that will increase USCIS fees for premium processing to reflect the amount of inflation from June 2023 through June 2025.
The new fees will apply to premium processing requests postmarked on or after March 1, 2026. As the effective date is a Sunday, the last day to file a petition pursuant to the existing premium processing fee schedule will be Thursday, February 26th, for arrival at USCIS on Friday, February 27th.
Premium processing provides expedited adjudication for certain case types as designated by USCIS. It guarantees a response from USCIS within the designated timeframe, “or your money back.” The response may be an approval, denial or request for additional evidence. If the latter, the premium processing clock resets at Day 1 upon USCIS’ receipt of the response.
The premium processing adjudication timeframe is 15 business days for most classifications; 45 business days for I-140 EB-1C Multinational Executive and Managers and I-140 EB-2 National Interest Waiver Classifications; and 30 days for certain eligible I-765 and I-539 applicants.
| Form | Previous Fee | New Fee |
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status | $1,685 | $1,780 |
| Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, all other available Form I-129 classifications:
E-1 Treaty Trader |
$2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, employment-based classifications:
E11 EB-1A Extraordinary Ability) |
$2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, requesting:
F-1 International Students |
$1,965 | $2,075 |
| Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for certain eligible applications (OPT and STEM-OPT Classifications) | $1,685 | $1,780 |
For additional information on USCIS’ premium processing program, please see How Do I Request Premium Processing? | USCIS