USCIS Premium Processing Fee Increase – Effective March 1, 2026
This message is to share an important update regarding USCIS premium processing fees that may affect petition and application planning for our schools and units.
What’s Changing
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a final rule adjusting USCIS premium processing fees based on inflation between June 2023 and June 2025, as authorized under the USCIS Stabilization Act. This adjustment is one of the regular, biennial inflation updates required by statute.
Effective Date
- The new premium processing fees take effect on March 1, 2026.
- Any premium processing request (Form I‑907) that is postmarked on or after March 1, 2026 must include the updated fee. Filings submitted with the incorrect fee amount will be rejected and returned.
Updated Fee Schedule (Premium Processing Only)
These increased fees apply to Form I‑907 filings requesting premium processing; they are in addition to the base filing fees for the underlying petition or application:
| Form / Filing Type | Previous Fee | New Fee (Effective March 1, 2026) |
| Form I‑129 (other classifications, e.g., H‑1B, O‑1, TN, E‑3) | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I‑140 (Employment‑Based Immigrant Petitions) | $2,805 | $2,965 |
| Form I‑539 (F/J Change or Extension of Status) | $1,965 | $2,075 |
| Form I‑765 (Certain EADs, including OPT / STEM OPT) | $1,685 | $1,780 |
| Note: Premium processing is only available for certain benefit categories as announced by USCIS. |
Why This Matters for Penn
These changes may affect budgeting and timing decisions for petitions where premium processing is used to meet academic or administrative start‑date goals or other time‑sensitive needs. School and departmental units should consider:
- Reviewing upcoming filings that may use premium processing in early 2026.
- Accounting for the new fees in budgets and authorization forms.
- Coordinating early with ISSS on case timing to avoid unexpected costs or filing delays.
What This Means to Penn H-1B Hiring Departments
- For case(s) currently pending with the USCIS– no action is needed.
- For cases currently pending with ISSS and premium processing has been requested– your ISSS advisor will contact you within the next two weeks regarding whether the new amount of $2,965 will be charged to your budget code.
- For case(s) that have not yet been submitted to ISSS– your budget code will be charged $2965 if premium processing is requested.
We will continue to monitor related guidance from USCIS and share updates as appropriate. Please reach out to ISSS if you have questions about how this change may affect specific cases or planning.