Consular processing: what a family immigrant visa costs from start to arrival
Set the number of relatives who will attend the visa interview to total every government fee from petition to green card.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
Family green card through a consulate
$1,355
Edition 10/07/26 of the USCIS fee schedule
| I-130 · Petition for alien relative | $675 |
|---|---|
| DS-260 · Immigrant visa application, family-based (State Department) | $325 |
| I-864 · Affidavit of support review at the National Visa Center | $120 |
| USCIS · USCIS Immigrant Fee (card production, paid before travel) | $235 |
| Paid to USCIS | $910 |
| Paid to the State Department | $445 |
| Total government fees | $1,355 |
How this was calculated
- Amounts from USCIS Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26, and the State Department fee page, read on October 13, 2026.
- Not counted because no agency sets them: the civil surgeon’s medical exam, translations, photos and any lawyer.
Estimate from public data, not legal advice. Your case may differ (cross-chargeability, CSPA, waivers). For advice, see a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Not affiliated with USCIS or the Department of State. Method and past error
Bringing a relative who lives abroad through consular processing costs $1,355 in government fees for one person when the I-130 is filed on paper, or $1,305 when it is filed online. The petition goes to USCIS at $675 ($625 online) under Form G-1055 dated 10/07/26. Once USCIS approves it, the National Visa Center collects $325 for the family immigrant visa application and $120 to review the sponsor’s affidavit of support. After the visa is issued, each immigrant pays USCIS a $235 Immigrant Fee so the green card can be produced and mailed. A spouse and children who immigrate with the main beneficiary in a preference category share the petition but each pay $560 more, so a family of three comes to $2,475. The medical exam with the embassy’s panel physician is paid separately and is not included.
Three payments across two agencies
Consular processing moves a case from one government office to another, and each office sends its own bill. USCIS decides the I-130 petition. The State Department, through the National Visa Center and then the embassy, decides the visa. USCIS returns at the end to print the card. That is why the total here mixes $675 paid in the United States, $445 paid to the State Department and the Immigrant Fee of $235.
Who counts as a separate applicant
The petitioner pays the I-130 once for the main beneficiary. In a preference category such as F3 or F4, the beneficiary’s spouse and minor children can immigrate on the same petition as derivatives, but each still has a DS-260, a visa fee and an Immigrant Fee. For a married sibling bringing two people with them, that is three visa fees and three Immigrant Fees on one petition. In an immediate relative case, every child needs a petition of their own.
What the bill does not show
The affidavit of support (Form I-864) is free to file; the $120 is the National Visa Center’s review charge. The medical exam is done abroad by a panel physician whose price varies by country. Police certificates, civil documents and translations are paid locally. None of these have a U.S. government price, so none are in our total.
Employment cases abroad
Workers who process at a consulate after an approved I-140 pay $345 to the State Department instead of $325, plus the same Immigrant Fee, and no affidavit review. The comparison of the two routes explains who can choose.
Fees line by line, paper and online
| Form | What it is | Paper | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-130 | Petition for alien relative | $675 | $625 |
| DS-260 | Immigrant visa application, family-based (State Department) | $325 | $325 |
| I-864 | Affidavit of support review at the National Visa Center | $120 | $120 |
| USCIS | USCIS Immigrant Fee (card production, paid before travel) | $235 | $235 |
| Total | $1,355 | $1,305 |