USCIS FY 2027 Fee Increase Alert: EB-3 Applicants Face Higher Filing Costs

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced an inflation adjustment to select immigration filing fees for Fiscal Year 2027. The increase reflects standard cost-of-living and operational adjustments, consistent with the agency's authority to periodically revise fees to recover administrative costs. For EB-3 employment-based applicants, the fee changes may affect Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers), Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence), and associated biometrics or premium processing filings. Petitioners and sponsored workers should consult the updated USCIS fee schedule to confirm exact amounts before filing. Employers sponsoring workers under the EB-3 category — including skilled workers, professionals, and unskilled (other) workers — bear most petition costs under USCIS rules. The inflation adjustment does not change eligibility requirements or processing priorities, but it does increase the financial burden on sponsoring companies. Applicants with pending cases are generally not affected by mid-cycle fee changes, as fees are locked in at the time of filing. However, anyone preparing to submit new petitions or applications after the FY 2027 effective date must use the updated amounts or risk rejection. USCIS recommends checking the official fee schedule at uscis.gov before any submission. Filing with incorrect fees is one of the most common — and easily avoidable — causes of rejection.