Every 2026 form fee on the path from wedding to green card
A marriage green card costs $2,065–$3,005 in USCIS fees when the spouse adjusts status inside the US: I-130 at $675 ($625 online) + I-485 at $1,440, plus $260 for the work permit and $630 for travel parole under the fees effective February 5, 2026. Consular processing from abroad totals about $1,235; the K-1 fiancé route runs about $3,505 by the time the post-wedding paperwork is done. Add a $100–$500 medical exam, and $2,000–$5,000 if you hire an attorney — making a DIY adjustment about $3,200–$3,600 all-in.
| Form | What it does | Fee (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| I-130, Petition for Alien Relative | Proves the marriage; starts the case | $675 paper / $625 online |
| I-485, Application for Permanent Residence | The green card application itself (adjustment only) | $1,440 |
| I-765, Employment Authorization | Work permit while the I-485 pends | $260 |
| I-131, Application for Travel Document | Advance parole — travel permission mid-case | $630 |
| DS-260 (family-based IV) | Consular visa application (spouse abroad) | $325 |
| USCIS immigrant fee | Green card production after consular entry | $235 |
| I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) | Starts the K-1 route | $675 paper / $625 online |
| K visa application (MRV) | Paid at the consulate for the K-1 | $265 |
Fees shown are those in effect for 2026 filings. Under the schedule effective February 5, 2026, the I-765 and I-131 are charged separately — they previously came free while an I-485 was pending — adding about $890 to a standard package. There's no separate biometrics fee on the I-485; it's folded into the $1,440.
| Adjustment of status | Consular CR-1 | K-1 fiancé | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petition | I-130 — $675 | I-130 — $675 | I-129F — $675 |
| Main application | I-485 — $1,440 | DS-260 — $325 | K visa fee — $265 |
| Work / travel add-ons | $260 + $630 | Included in the visa | $260 + $630 after marrying |
| Green card production | Included | $235 | $235 + I-485 $1,440 after marrying |
| Government total | $2,065–$3,005 | ~$1,235 | ~$3,505 |
You rarely choose the route — adjustment requires the spouse to be in the US, generally after a lawful entry, while a spouse abroad uses consular processing. The K-1 is the odd one: it's chosen before marriage, and its total cost is a reason many couples marry first and file an I-130 instead.
Government fees are fixed and published; the variables are which forms your route needs, whether you can file the petition online, the medical exam, and whether a lawyer touches the case. This calculator stacks all of it into the number couples actually budget against.
Adjustment of status: I-130 ($675 paper, $625 online) + I-485 $1,440 + optional I-765 $260 and I-131 $630. Consular: I-130 + DS-260 $325 + $235 USCIS immigrant fee. K-1: I-129F ($675/$625) + $265 K visa fee, then — after marrying within 90 days — the full I-485/I-765/I-131 stack plus $235. On top: a medical exam you set ($100–$500 typical), incidentals (photos, copies, postage), and your attorney choice.
Pick the route that matches where the immigrating spouse lives, not the cheaper one. Leave the work-permit and travel-parole boxes checked for adjustment cases — filing them later means paying again, and leaving the country without advance parole is treated as abandoning the application. Set the medical to a quote from a civil surgeon if you have one; the band is wide.
A DIY adjustment of status, paper filing, all options on: $675 + $1,440 + $260 + $630 = $3,005 in government fees, plus a $250 medical and $75 of photos, copies, and mailing — $3,330 all-in, right in the typical $3,200–$3,600 band. Filing the I-130 online shaves $50. The same couple with a $3,500 flat-fee attorney lands at $6,830, inside the $5,200–$8,600 attorney band. A spouse abroad doing consular processing pays just $675 + $325 + $235 = $1,235 to the government — about $1,560 all-in.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medical exam (civil surgeon) | $100–$500 | Set by the surgeon; missing vaccination records add charges |
| Photos, copies, postage | ~$50–$100 | The unglamorous tail of every filing |
| Attorney, flat fee | $2,000–$5,000 | Simple in-state cases near the bottom of the band |
| One-time package review | A few hundred | The DIY compromise: a lawyer checks the filing once |
| Sponsor income floor | Not a fee | I-864 requires 125% of poverty guidelines — $27,050 for a household of two (2026) |
Fees are not refundable if the case is denied — budget for getting it right once. For the full walkthrough including the income requirement, see marriage green card cost: 2026 fees.
$2,065 to $3,005 in USCIS fees for adjustment of status inside the US — the I-130 at $675 ($625 online) plus the I-485 at $1,440, with $260 more for a work permit and $630 for travel parole. All-in with the medical exam and incidentals, a do-it-yourself case runs about $3,200 to $3,600; with an attorney, $5,200 to $8,600.
I-130 petition $675 on paper or $625 online, I-485 application $1,440, I-765 work permit $260, and I-131 advance parole $630. For filings under the fee schedule effective February 5, 2026, the I-765 and I-131 are charged separately — they used to be free while an I-485 was pending — which added about $890 to the standard package.
Yes, in pure fees: about $1,235 — the $675 I-130, a $325 family-based DS-260 visa fee, and the $235 USCIS immigrant fee after entry — versus $2,065 to $3,005 for adjusting inside the US. But you don't really choose: adjustment requires the spouse to be in the United States, generally after a lawful entry, while a spouse living abroad uses the consular route.
About $3,505 in government fees for the full journey: a $675 I-129F petition ($625 online), the $265 K visa application fee at the consulate, then — after marrying within 90 days — the $1,440 I-485, $260 work permit, and $630 travel parole, plus the $235 green card production fee. The K-1 often costs more overall than marrying first and filing an I-130.
$100 to $500 set by the civil surgeon, with big metros at the top of the band. Missing vaccination records add charges, so gathering shot documentation beforehand is one of the few controllable costs. The exam results are valid for two years.
A flat $2,000 to $5,000 is typical at a private immigration firm, with straightforward in-state cases near the bottom. Many couples split the difference with a one-time document review for a few hundred dollars. Straightforward cases can reasonably file without one; prior denials, deportation history, criminal records, or long overstays argue for hiring counsel.
No. USCIS keeps filing fees once processing begins, whatever the outcome. That's the strongest argument for getting the package right the first time — and the reason many DIY couples still pay for an attorney review before sending it.