On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a new law called the One Big Beautiful Bill, officially known as H.R. 1. While the law allocates over $170 billion for border security, detention center construction, and expanded deportation capacity, one of the most concerning changes for immigrant communities is the drastic increase in immigration application costs.

📌 What Is This Law Exactly?

H.R. 1 is a sweeping legislative package that prioritizes immigration enforcement, border wall construction, expanded detention, and the militarization of the border. It also imposes new restrictions and financial burdens on people seeking to legalize their immigration status.

💸 How Are Immigration Costs Increasing?

The law turns the immigration system into a “pay-to-play” model, imposing new fees or significantly increasing existing ones. Here are some examples:

• 🛑 Asylum applicants must now pay $100 to file an application (previously free), plus $100 for every year the case remains pending.

• 🛂 Work permits for asylum seekers: $550 for the initial application (used to be free), $275 for renewals.

• ⚠️ Temporary Protected Status (TPS) application: increases from $50 to $500.

• 💳 Humanitarian parole: increases from $630 to $1,000.

• 👶 Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS): used to be free, now $250.

• ⚖️ Immigration court appeals: increase from $110 to $900.

What’s most alarming is that many of these fees cannot be waived. In other words, if you can’t pay, you may not be able to move forward with your case.

For a comprehensive listing of USCIS fees, please see U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, last updated on July 14, 2025,

⚠️ What Impact Will This Have?

These fee hikes represent a major barrier for thousands of people seeking protection, especially asylum seekers, survivors of violence, migrant children, and low-income individuals.

By charging annual fees to those stuck in the system for years due to government delays, the law shifts the blame onto applicants and penalizes them for waiting.

🗣️ What Can You Do?

It’s critical for people to stay informed and seek legal guidance as soon as possible. The financial impact of these changes will be high, and understanding the new costs can help you plan ahead or file before the fee increases take full effect.

📞 Need help? Call us at 202-709-6439 for a free case evaluation.