US to Increase Premium Processing Fees for Select Visas from March 2026

The US Department of Homeland Security has announced revisions to premium processing fees charged by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as per news reports.  

The updated fees will apply to applications filed from March 1, 2026, reflecting inflation and supporting faster case processing. 

Policy Basis and Objective 

The fee revision has been made under the USCIS Stabilization Act, which allows premium processing fees to be adjusted every two years in line with inflation.  

The department stated that the purpose is to maintain the real value of the service and ensure stable funding for faster case processing. The adjustment reflects inflation recorded between June 2023 and June 2025.  

Additional revenue will be used to strengthen adjudication capacity, manage increasing workloads and backlogs, and support USCIS adjudication and naturalisation services. 

Updated Premium Processing Fees 

From March 1, 2026, all premium processing requests postmarked on or after this date must include the revised fee and continue to be filed using Form I-907. 

• Form I-129 (H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status): Fee increases from $1,685 to $1,780.
• Form I-129 (all other eligible classifications including E, H-1B, L, O, P, Q and TN): Fee increases from $2,805 to $2,965.
• Form I-140 (employment-based immigrant petitions including EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3): Fee increases from $2,805 to $2,965.
• Form I-539 (F, J and M nonimmigrant status extensions or changes): Fee increases from $1,965 to $2,075.
• Form I-765 (employment authorisation for OPT and STEM-OPT): Fee increases from $1,685 to $1,780. 

USCIS clarified that premium processing may only be requested for benefit categories where the service has been officially made available. 

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Conclusion  

The revised premium processing fees aim to preserve service quality while addressing inflation and rising application volumes. By updating charges across major visa and employment categories, USCIS seeks to ensure faster adjudication, reduce backlogs and maintain stable funding, with applicants required to comply with the new rates from March 2026. 

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