Green Card Cost Calculator: what will your application really cost?

For one person adjusting status inside the United States, the two required USCIS filings come to $2,115 by mail: $675 for the Form I-130 petition and $1,440 for the Form I-485 application. Filed online it is $2,015. Applying from abroad costs less, roughly $1,355 for one person: the I-130, a DS-260 visa fee of $325, an Affidavit of Support review fee of $120 for the case, and a USCIS Immigrant Fee of $235 to produce the card. Figures come from the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, edition 2026-05-29.

A marriage-based green card for a spouse already in the United States costs $2,115 in USCIS filing fees by mail, or $2,015 filed online. Two forms people expect to pay for are free. Form I-130A, the spouse supplement, has no fee, and neither does Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, when it is filed with the I-485 inside the United States. If your spouse is abroad, budget roughly $1,355 instead.

Consular processing is cheaper on filing fees. One applicant abroad pays roughly $1,355: the I-130, a DS-260 visa fee of $325, an Affidavit of Support review fee of $120 charged once per case, and a USCIS Immigrant Fee of $235. Adjustment of status is $2,115 by mail, because the I-485 replaces those cheaper consular fees. What the higher price buys is the option to apply for a work permit and a travel document while you wait, which consular processing does not offer. Each of those carries its own fee. Neither total includes the medical exam or travel to the interview.

Yes, for nearly every fee. Each person adjusting status pays their own I-485 fee, and each person applying abroad pays their own DS-260 and USCIS Immigrant Fee. One fee is charged per case rather than per person: an Affidavit of Support review fee of $120 covers the whole family on a consular case. In some family-preference categories one I-130 petition can cover your dependents instead of one petition each, so the calculator counts one petition per person, which is the most you would pay.

Online is cheaper. USCIS takes a discount off most forms filed online, so the I-130 drops from $675 to $625 and the I-485 from $1,440 to $1,390. Family-based applicants can now file both online, through the route where you upload a completed PDF to your USCIS account. Immiva still suggests mailing the adjustment of status package so every form, exhibit and signature stays in one envelope. Filing online without a lawyer, you cannot send the I-485 with the I-130: the petitioner files the petition first from their own USCIS account, and you wait for the acceptance notice before filing yours.

Yes. Since the 2024 USCIS fee rule, biometrics are bundled into the Form I-485 filing fee, so there is no separate biometrics charge to budget for. The fee is $1,440 by mail or $1,390 online, and that single amount covers your fingerprint and photo appointment. Any fee estimate still showing a separate biometrics line for adjustment of status is out of date.

Yes. Each carries its own USCIS fee even when filed in the same package as your green card application, because the 2024 fee rule ended the practice of including them for free. Form I-765, the work permit, is $260 when filed with a pending I-485, down from $520 on its own. Form I-131, advance parole, is $630. Both are optional, and the calculator has a switch for each so you can see what they add to your total.

The USCIS Immigrant Fee is $235 per person, paid after your immigrant visa is approved, and it covers producing and mailing your physical green card. Only consular applicants pay it. People who adjust status inside the United States do not. It is charged for every immigrant in the family, children included, and it cannot be waived with Form I-912. Cost estimates often leave it out, so it can arrive as a surprise at the end of the case.

No. You pay the medical exam to a doctor, not to the government, so it is not part of any USCIS or State Department fee. Inside the United States a USCIS-designated civil surgeon completes Form I-693. Abroad, a panel physician does the exam before your consular interview. Each clinic sets its own price and it varies by location, so call two or three near you and budget the higher quote on top of your filing fees.

A fee waiver, requested on Form I-912, is decided mainly on financial need. Any one of three grounds qualifies you: household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, a means-tested benefit such as Medicaid or SNAP that you currently receive, or documented financial hardship such as large medical bills. An approved waiver removes only USCIS fees. It does not cover State Department fees like the DS-260 or the Affidavit of Support review fee, and it cannot remove a fee set by law. Immiva asks the income and benefit questions and tells you whether an I-912 is worth filing.

No. USCIS filing fees pay for reviewing your application, not for approving it, so USCIS does not refund them if your case is denied or if you withdraw it. Refiling means paying in full again, which for adjustment of status is another $1,440. Fees can change before the day you file, which is why this calculator reads the current USCIS fee table.

Immiva charges a flat $129 to prepare Form I-130 and Form I-485 together, question by question. That service fee is separate from the government filing fees, which you always pay directly to USCIS. Immiva is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. The calculator shows both lines so your whole budget is on one screen: $129 plus whatever the government side comes to for your household.