The USCIS Immigrant Fee: the last payment before the flight
Set how many relatives receive immigrant visas to see the Immigrant Fee alongside the State Department charges.
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
The USCIS Immigrant Fee is $235 per person under the USCIS fee schedule G-1055 dated 10/07/26. Every person who receives an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate pays it, family and employment cases alike, so a parent arriving with three children pays $940. It is paid online to USCIS, not to the State Department, after the visa is issued, and USCIS asks that it be paid before travel. The fee covers the processing of the immigrant visa packet once the traveler is admitted and the production of the physical green card, which is mailed to the U.S. address given in the case. It is a separate charge from the $325 family or $345 employment visa fee paid earlier. A fiancé(e) on a K-1 visa does not pay it, because the K-1 is a nonimmigrant visa and the green card comes later through an I-485. In a family consular case it is about 17% of the government total.
Paid to USCIS, at the very end
The USCIS Immigrant Fee is the odd one out in a consular case. Everything else after the petition is paid to the State Department: the immigrant visa application and, for family cases, the review of the affidavit of support. This last charge goes back to USCIS, because USCIS, not the consulate, makes the card. The visa interview is done and the visa is in the passport; what remains is the trip, then the card in the mailbox at the U.S. address in the case.
Where it sits in the total
| Line | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| I-130 | USCIS | $675 |
| DS-260 | State Department | $325 |
| I-864 | State Department | $120 |
| USCIS | USCIS | $235 |
| Total | $1,355 |
The Immigrant Fee is the same $235 in an employment case, where it follows the I-140, the Asylum Program Fee and the $345 visa fee.
Paying it right
The payment is made online with the case details printed on the immigrant visa packet. Each person in the family has a separate payment. Pay only through the official USCIS site; nobody else collects this fee, and a message asking for it by wire transfer or gift card is a scam, as the USCIS scam warnings explain. Check the address in the case before paying, since the card goes there.
Who does not pay
A fiancé(e) on a K-1 visa is admitted as a nonimmigrant and gets the green card through an I-485, so no Immigrant Fee. Neither does anyone who adjusts status inside the country. The consular processing cost page has the full family bill, and the two routes compared explains who goes which way.
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 |