Green card lawyer fees generally average at the following:
Here’s what we learned about how many applicants hired lawyers, what they paid for legal help in presenting their application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and what they had to say about their experiences with immigration attorneys. Almost all green-card applicants paid their lawyers a flat fee.
One of the great benefits of becoming a U.S. citizen is the opportunity to sponsor your parents to live permanently in the United States. Unfortunately, legal permanent residents (green card holders) are not eligible to sponsor parents at this time.
How long does it take to sponsor parents for a green card? Unfortunately, processing delays have also affected family-based immigrant visas. U.S. citizens sponsoring parents, children and spouses should expect the entire process to take 11-19 months.
You must file the appropriate fee along with each application. Currently, the filing fee for the I-130 sponsor petition is $535. Your parent’s application to adjust status (Form I-485) is $1,140, in addition to an $85 biometric fee to pay for your parent’s fingerprinting and background check.
Mandatory FeesGreen Card CostsFamily Sponsorship Form (I-130)$535$535Green Card Application Form (I-485)$1,140Not requiredFinancial Support Form (I-864)$0$120Work Permit Application Form (I-765) (optional)$0Not required7 more rows
$535The filing fee for the I-130 petition is (as of 2022) set at $535. If you are sponsoring more than one family member who qualifies as an "immediate relative," you will have to file a separate I-130 petition and filing fee for each one.
An immigration lawyer charges between $150 and $300 per hour, with a typical 30-min consultation fee of $75 to $150. Legal assistance when filing basic immigration forms costs $250 to $800, while green card assistance runs from $800 to $5,000, plus the USCIS fees of $460 to $700.
Generally, most people can file the I-130 petition on their own. However, adopted petitioners that want to help a parent get a green card should consult with an experienced immigration attorney. The laws surrounding adoptive relationships are complex and can be best addressed by an attorney.
$535$535. You may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, or cashier's check. When filing at a USCIS Lockbox facility, you may also pay by credit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The most common minimum annual income required to sponsor a spouse or family member for a green card is $22,887. This assumes that the sponsor — the U.S. citizen or current green card holder — is not in active military duty and is sponsoring only one relative.
Hiring an immigration lawyer adds additional legal fees to your case, but often it comes with numerous benefits. Hiring an immigration lawyer can save you time and stress and increase your chances of success.
You do not have to hire an immigration lawyer to apply for a Marriage Green Card. More than half of all marriage Green Card applications are filed by individuals who do not work with an attorney. You can definitely do it!
It takes 7 to 33 months to process a Green Card application. The Green Card processing time depends on the type of Green Card you are applying for, the location of the processing office and other factors. Family Preference Green Cards processing takes from 1 to 10 years depending on the wait time and yearly caps.
between 6 months and 15 monthsIt takes between 6 months and 15 months to get a Green Card for Parents after form I-130 is approved. Form I-130 can take between 5-26.5 months to be approved, depending on the service center.
Green Cards for Parents Lawfully Residing in the U.S. If your parents have entered the US lawfully and are currently living in the US then the process takes about 12 months once you submit: An I-130 Visa Petition for each parent.
The immigration process can be intimidating and take a long time, but hiring an immigration attorney to support you with your case can speed up the process and help you meet your goals.
With that, they can enter the United States and they must do so within 6 months. Their permanent resident card (commonly known as the green card) will be mailed to them shortly after arrival.
You must also be at least 21 years of age to file a sponsorship petition and be able to prove financial means to support your relative. You can sponsor your mother, father, an adoptive parent or a stepparent.
Medical Examination & Form I-693. The medical examination is generally required of all green card applicants. Whether your parent is in the U.S. or outside, they are required to visit a USCIS approved doctor. In the U.S., you can enter your zip code and find an approved doctor here.
It generally takes the USCIS 7-11 months to make a decision. Once your I-130 petition is approved, the USCIS will send you an approval notice (also known as the I-797, Notice of Action). An approved I-130 by itself does not grant your parent any immigration benefits – it is simply the first step in the process.
Within a couple of weeks, you should receive a notice in the mail from the USCIS, acknowledging receipt of your petition. It generally takes the USCIS 7-11 months to make a decision.
In the meantime, your parent can expect work authorization within 132 days (if you file form I-765).
Department of State. Here, your visa petition is processed and then referred to the U.S. Consulate / U.S. Embassy in your parent’s home country for further processing. This is known as “consular processing.”.
Immigration cases are complex. There are layers of complicated rules, laws, and regulations you need to navigate to get a successful outcome. Some cases are simple and don’t need special assistance.
There are a lot of resources and information on immigration available online. So, it might seem unnecessary to pay a high price for an immigration lawyer when all these resources are free. The reality is, however, the immigration process is complex, and there is usually a lot at stake.
There is a whole host of factors that will influence the cost of an immigration lawyer. Generally, however, the following factors will affect the price you are charged:
As we’ve explained above, there is a whole range of factors that will influence the actual cost of an immigration lawyer. What we can do, however, is look at what the average costs are for different types of visas.
Now you no longer have to wonder how much does an immigration lawyer cost. These legal fees can seem very expensive. But it may save you time and money in the long run. It could also be the difference between a successful application and a possible denial (or worse – deportation!).
Please answer a few questions to help us match you with attorneys in your area.
The filing fee for the I-130 petition is (as of 2021) set at $535. If you are sponsoring more than one family member who qualifies as an "immediate relative," you will have to file a separate I-130 petition and filing fee for each one. An "immediate relative" is the spouse or unmarried child under the age of 21 of a U.S. citizen.
When you first meet with an attorney, you will almost always have to pay a consultation fee. A consultation fee can range anywhere from $75 to several hundred dollars depending on where the attorney is located and the size of the firm the attorney works for.
In fact, the family-based green card fee (for both I-130 and I-485 forms) in 1985 was $85.
Every family-based green card application process starts by filing forms such as the I-130, I-485, and DS-260, depending on the location of the green card application beneficiary. Each of these application forms has its own filing fees. In addition, there are other expenses, such as immigration medical exam fees, biometric service fees, and many more. All these make up the total cost of a family-based green card application. If you are pursuing permanent residence under the family-based category, this article gives you a breakdown of all the expenses from the beginning to the end of this process.
The USCIS did not process a petition filed with premium processing within 15 calendar days. There may be extraordinary circumstances that could also warrant a refund of your family-based green card filing fees. If you and your immigration attorney feel that you deserve a refund, contact the USCIS.
If you entered or are entering the U.S. under a nonimmigrant K visa (meaning that you are the fiancé (e), spouse, or dependents of a fiancé (e) or spouse of a U.S. citizen), then there are several more forms that may be required before you can get a green card based on your situation.
2020: Finally, on November 14, 2019, the USCIS proposed yet another change to petition filing fees, including family-based green card application forms. The agency planned to make the changes effective 2020. Though the rule has yet to be effective, if it does, green card applicants should expect an increase in the current fees.
2016: On December 23, 2016, the USCIS posted a new fee schedule that effectively raised the fees associated with almost every USCIS form available. The USCIS implemented a new fee schedule that made some drastic changes to both temporary nonimmigrant as well as permanent immigrant visa categories.
The immigration medical exam is compulsory for all applicants getting family-based green cards. The results of the exam are used to determine if an applicant has a disease or infection that could threaten the public health of the United States residents.
My girlfriend who is a resident from Argentina was stopped this morning by a customs agent. She was told that they would need to take her into a back room and ask more questions. I got a call about 15 minutes after from someone at the airport telling me they had her and it could take 8 hours for her to finish.
My major concern is medical care...whether he is here visiting on a tourist visa or immigrating...how do you provide medical care for aging foreign relatives in the US?
My girlfriend and I have been together for 7 years. I have recently proposed to her during a visit to Mexico and we are looking for advice regarding K-1 visas or any other avenues for her legal entry to the US. We are hoping to both be living and working in the US together.
I am trying to decide whether to apply through premium processing. I will be submitting to the Texas service center. What is the community view on whether or not to choose premium processing (PP)? Considerations:
I am currently a Canadian student that got offered an internship opportunity this summer in the state of California. I require work authorization and was wondering if I could obtain the TN-1 visa at the Toronto or Vancouver airports with ease?