The United States has imposed new fees for certain immigrants who were previously barred from paying to apply for permission to work in the country. Any form submitted without the required fees and postmarked on or after August 21, 2025, will be rejected by USCIS.
To start working in the US, all foreigners need to have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). It is also the responsibility of the US employers to ensure that all employees, regardless of their citizenship or national origin, are authorized to work in the country only if they hold an EAD.
The fee for filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, is $470 online and $520 in paper form.
However, foreigners under asylum, parolee, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) categories were exempted under the rules. From now onwards, they will have to pay the fees.
New Fee Structure
Now, the new fees for foreigners who file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for asylum, parolee, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) categories (a)(4), (a)(12), (c)(8), (c)(11), (c)(19), and (c)(34) are: For initial EAD applications, $550; and for renewal or extension EAD applications, $275.
Also, a new fee of $100 for foreigners who file Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal and an Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) of $100 (which must be paid online) for all foreigners with a pending Form I-589 for each calendar year their application remains pending, has been introduced.
Further, all foreigners with a pending Form I-589 must pay an annual Asylum Fee (AAF) of $100 (payable online) for each calendar year that their application is pending.
There is one exception to these fees. If a foreigner requests an EAD after USCIS approves a new period of parole (re-parole) by filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records, the fee will be the lower fee of $275.
Any foreigner who filed or files a Form I-589 after October 1, 2024, that remains pending with USCIS for 365 days must pay the AAF is of the first anniversary of his or her filing date and each year thereafter that the application remains pending on such day of the calendar year.
Other Changes
H.R. 1 also changed validity periods for some EAD categories. For foreign parolees, initial employment authorization is valid for no more than one year or the duration of the foreigner’s parole, whichever is shorter. For foreigners with TPS, initial and renewal employment authorizations are valid for no more than one year or for the duration of the foreigner’s TPS status, whichever is shorter.
Form Postmarked on or After August 21
Applicants must submit the new fees with benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025. USCIS will reject any form postmarked on or after August 21, 2025, without the proper fees.
The fees in H.R. 1 do not supersede or replace those promulgated by the USCIS Fee Rule; rather, they will be charged ‘in addition’ to current fees.
Employment Authorization Document
Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766/EAD) is one way to prove that a foreign worker is authorized to work in the United States for a specific time period. To apply for EAD, a foreigner has to file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.
However, not all are required to get an EAD before working in America. You do not need to apply for an EAD if you are a lawful permanent resident or holding a Green Card (Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card), which is evidence of your employment authorization.
You also do not need to apply for an EAD if you have a non-immigrant status that authorizes you to work for a specific employer incident to your status, for example, you are an H-1B, L-1B, O, or P non-immigrant.