The I-140 fee and the Asylum Program Fee that comes with it
Mark whether the petitioner has 25 or fewer employees to see the I-140 cost and the full employment green card total.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
Employment green card, inside the U.S. (I-140 + I-485)
$3,645
Edition 10/07/26 of the USCIS fee schedule
| I-140 · Immigrant petition for a worker (usually paid by the employer) | $715 |
|---|---|
| I-140 · Asylum Program Fee | $600 |
| I-485 · Adjustment of status, age 14 or older | $1,440 |
| I-765 · Work permit with a pending I-485 | $260 |
| I-131 · Advance parole with a pending I-485 | $630 |
| I-693 · Medical exam form (no USCIS fee; the doctor bills separately) | $0 |
| Paid to USCIS | $3,645 |
| Total government fees | $3,645 |
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-140, the Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, costs $715 on paper and $665 online under the USCIS fee schedule G-1055 dated 10/07/26. Every I-140 also carries an Asylum Program Fee, which depends on the petitioner: $600 for most employers, $300 for an employer with 25 or fewer employees, and $0 for a nonprofit organization. A paper petition from a larger company therefore costs $1,315, from a small business $1,015, and from a nonprofit university or hospital $715. Filing online lowers the larger-employer total to $1,265. The petition is paid once for the worker; a spouse and children follow as derivatives and pay only their own I-485 or immigrant visa fees. A second I-140, for instance to move from EB-2 to EB-3 with the same priority date, is a new petition with both fees again. Premium processing is a separate request not included here.
Two lines on every petition
| Petitioner | I-140 | Asylum Program Fee | Total, paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 25 employees | $715 | $600 | $1,315 |
| 25 employees or fewer | $715 | $300 | $1,015 |
| Nonprofit organization | $715 | $0 | $715 |
The Asylum Program Fee is what makes the I-140 different from every other form in a green card case. It does not depend on the worker, the category or the country of birth, only on the petitioner. The same engineer sponsored by a cloud company and by a research university can have petitions $600 apart in cost.
Paying again for a better queue
Indian and Chinese workers in long backlogs sometimes file a second petition in a neighbouring category when its cutoff moves ahead. Each new petition is a full fee, $1,315 for a larger employer, and the EB-2 to EB-3 calculator shows when the other line is actually ahead before the money is spent. The fee buys a new petition, not a new place in line; the place in line is the earlier priority date that the worker carries over from the approved first petition.
What follows the petition
An approved I-140 does not give a green card. The worker and each family member then file an I-485 inside the country when the priority date allows, or go through a consulate, where the employment immigrant visa fee is $345 per person plus the $235 Immigrant Fee. The employment green card cost page adds up both routes, and the I-140 processing time shows how long the petition itself takes.
Fees line by line, paper and online
| Form | What it is | Paper | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-140 | Immigrant petition for a worker (usually paid by the employer) | $715 | $665 |
| I-140 | Asylum Program Fee | $600 | $600 |
| I-485 | Adjustment of status, age 14 or older | $1,440 | $1,390 |
| I-765 | Work permit with a pending I-485 | $260 | $260 |
| I-131 | Advance parole with a pending I-485 | $630 | $580 |
| I-693 | Medical exam form (no USCIS fee; the doctor bills separately) | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $3,645 | $3,495 |