The I-130 fee and how many petitions to pay for
Pick the family path to see the I-130 next to every fee that follows it, at a consulate or inside the United States.
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
Form I-130, the Petition for Alien Relative, costs $675 on paper and $625 when filed online, under the USCIS fee schedule G-1055 dated 10/07/26. It is the first fee in almost every family green card case and the one that fixes the priority date: the day USCIS receives the petition becomes the place in line for the preference categories F1 to F4. The fee is paid by the petitioner, the U.S. citizen or permanent resident, once per beneficiary. In the preference categories, the beneficiary’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 can follow on the same petition, so a sibling with a family of four needs one I-130. In immediate relative cases each person needs a separate petition, so a citizen bringing three stepchildren pays $2,025 on paper. The I-130 does not give a green card on its own: an I-485 or a consular visa still follows.
The fee that buys a place in line
For most family cases, $675 paid on paper, or $625 online, is what starts the clock. The receipt notice for the I-130 carries the priority date, and in the four family preference categories that date is compared every month with the Visa Bulletin. Two families who file a year apart in the same category and country pay the same fee and stand a year apart in the queue. Filing online saves $50, but the date is fixed the same way either way.
One petition or several
The number of petitions matters more than the price of each. Immediate relatives of a citizen, meaning a spouse, parents and unmarried children under 21, each need their own I-130. Preference beneficiaries can bring a spouse and minor children as derivatives on one petition. A citizen in Phoenix sponsoring her married brother in Manila, his wife and two children files one petition; the same citizen sponsoring her husband and his two children from an earlier marriage files three. The priority date guide explains why derivatives share the beneficiary’s date.
What comes after the I-130
Approval is not a green card. Inside the United States the next step is an I-485, at $1,440 per person on paper. From abroad, the case moves to the National Visa Center, which collects $325 per immigrant for the visa and $120 to review the affidavit of support, and then the $235 Immigrant Fee before travel. The consular cost page adds them up.
Before you mail it
The current G-1055 lists no separate biometrics fee with the I-130. Check the amount in the USCIS fee calculator the week you file, and see the I-130 processing time for the wait that follows.
The 2026 fee schedule for green card and citizenship forms
| Form | Paper | Online |
|---|---|---|
| I-130 | $675 | $625 |
| I-485 | $1,440 | $1,390 |
| I-485, under 14 with a parent | $950 | $900 |
| I-765 (general) | $520 | $470 |
| I-765 with an I-485 filed since April 1, 2024 | $260 | $260 |
| I-131 advance parole | $630 | $580 |
| I-140 | $715 | $665 |
| Asylum Program Fee (I-140) | $600 | $600 |
| I-751 | $750 | $700 |
| I-90 | $465 | $415 |
| I-129F | $675 | – |
| N-400 | $760 | $710 |
| N-400 reduced fee | $380 | – |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | $235 | $235 |
| I-526E | $3,675 | – |
| State Department: family immigrant visa | $325 | – |
| State Department: employment immigrant visa | $345 | – |
| State Department: affidavit of support review | $120 | – |
| State Department: K visa | $265 | – |