The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 inflationary adjustments to certain immigration-related fees required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR-1). HR-1 requires that DHS annually adjust certain immigration-related fees for inflation.
DHS has set the inflation-adjusted FY 2026 fee amounts for the following immigration fees required by HR-1:
- The fee for enrollment in the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS),
- The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fee,
- Fee for a foreigner paroled into the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will begin assessing the FY 2026 amount for the HR-1 parole fee on January 1, 2026.
CBP will begin assessing the FY 2026 amounts for the I-94, ESTA, and EVUS fees on January 1, 2026.
CBP administers several fees, including fees for applying a CBP Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record, for using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and receiving ESTA travel authorizations, and for enrolling in the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS).
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act established new immigration fees and increased existing fees for certain immigration-related actions. The statute established minimum fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and required annual adjustments to the fees in subsequent fiscal years based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
New Revised US Visa FY 2026 Fees
Parole into the United States
Total FY 2025 fee – (existing fee): $1,000
FY 2026 inflation adjustment: +$20
Total FY 2026 fee (revised fee): $1,020
Application for CBP Form I-94 at land border ports of entry
Total FY 2025 fee- (existing fee): $30
FY 2026 inflation adjustment: 0
Total FY 2026 fee (revised fee): $30
ESTA authorization
Total FY 2025 fee- (existing fee): $40
FY 2026 inflation adjustment: +0.27
Total FY 2026 fee (revised fee): $40.27
EVUS enrollment
Total FY 2025 fee- (existing fee): $30
FY 2026 inflation adjustment:+0.75
Total FY 2026 fee (revised fee): $30.75
CBP issues an electronic CBP Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record to all arriving foreigners who are legally required to submit that form. The existing fee for Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record applications will not change for FY 2026.
ESTA is the online system through which foreigners intending to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must obtain an electronic travel authorization in advance of travel to the United States.
Each foreigner intending to travel by air, sea, or land to the United States under the VWP must receive a travel authorization via ESTA prior to travel.
EVUS is an online system currently used by nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) holding a 10-year B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 (visitor) visa to provide required information to DHS prior to travel to the United States.
The US interview waiver policy, known as ‘Dropbox,’ has been discontinued for most travelers, effective September 2, 2025. The US State Department has restricted eligibility for visa interview waivers, meaning that most applicants, including foreign workers on temporary visas and F-1 international students, will now need to attend in-person interviews for their visa applications.