Your Guide to New Immigration Fees from the Department of Justice

You might care about this because the Department of Justice is changing the fees for many immigration filings. This interim rule updates the costs for things like applications for relief, appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and requests to reopen or reconsider cases. A new law called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) requires these changes. The law added new fees and also increased some existing ones. These new fees must be paid in addition to fees that were already in place. The OBBBA also made it harder to get fee waivers for certain applications and motions. These changes take effect on June 11, 2026. The Department of Justice is asking for public comments on these changes until July 13, 2026. This rule also explains how the fees will be adjusted for inflation every year as required by the new law. What is particularly interesting about this rule is that the fee changes are not simply adjustments made by the agency on its own. They are directly required by a new federal law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA. This law specifically introduced or raised many fees related to immigration. It also clearly states that these new OBBBA fees must be paid in addition to any other fees that were already in effect. This means the total cost for many immigration processes will increase. Another important aspect is that the OBBBA limits when people can ask for fee waivers for certain applications. It also sets up a system for these new fees to be adjusted for inflation every year. The Department of Justice had to update its regulations to match what the new law says. This rule makes sure that the agency's official guidelines are consistent with the requirements of the OBBBA. This legal document would be most interesting to anyone involved in the immigration process. This includes individuals who are applying for immigration relief or protection, or those filing appeals or motions in immigration court. Immigration attorneys and legal aid organizations will also want to understand these changes, especially the new fee amounts and the limits on fee waivers. People working at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, such as immigration judges and members of the Board of Immigration Appeals, are directly affected by these updated regulations. Researchers and policymakers studying immigration law and its economic impacts would also find this information relevant. Any person or group that deals with the costs associated with immigration filings should pay close attention to this rule.