Immigration to the United States comes with a price tag that extends far beyond the government filing fees listed on USCIS forms. Most people start the process with a budget based on those official fees, only to discover a long list of additional expenses that weren’t part of their initial calculations. By the time everything is paid for, the actual cost often doubles or triples what was originally expected.
These surprise expenses aren’t optional extras – they’re requirements that pop up at various stages of the application process. Some are one-time costs while others recur multiple times. Understanding the full financial picture before starting helps prevent the stress of scrambling for money halfway through an immigration case.
Medical Examinations That Only Certain Doctors Can Perform
USCIS requires medical examinations for most green card applicants, but these aren’t regular doctor visits covered by health insurance. The exams must be conducted by USCIS-approved civil surgeons, and insurance companies typically won’t reimburse these costs since they’re not considered medical treatment.
The exam itself runs anywhere from $200 to $500 depending on location and the specific doctor. That’s just the baseline though. Required vaccinations add another layer of expense. Adults who lack documentation of childhood vaccinations often need multiple shots, which can add $300 to $600 to the total. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine alone costs around $100, and that’s one of the cheaper ones.
Some applicants discover they need additional testing. Tuberculosis screening might require a chest X-ray if the skin test comes back positive, adding another $100 to $200. Any abnormal findings trigger requirements for specialist evaluations and additional documentation, which can get expensive fast.
Translation and Document Certification Fees
Immigration applications require English translations of any documents issued in other languages. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, police records – anything not originally in English needs professional translation. USCIS won’t accept translations done by family members or friends, even if they’re fluent in both languages.
Certified translation services charge per page, typically $20 to $50 per page depending on the language and complexity. A simple birth certificate might only be one page, but educational transcripts can run several pages. Police clearance certificates sometimes include multiple pages of information. The costs accumulate quickly when dealing with documents from multiple countries or covering several family members.
Some countries require apostille certification on documents before they’ll be accepted by U.S. immigration authorities. Getting documents apostilled involves fees in the country of origin, and if the applicant is already in the United States, they need to pay someone overseas to handle the process, which adds service fees on top of the official costs.
Passport Photos With Specific Requirements
Immigration applications require passport-style photos that meet exact specifications for size, background color, head position, and recent vintage. Regular passport photos from drugstore machines usually don’t cut it because immigration requirements differ from standard passport photo requirements.
Professional photo services that specialize in immigration photos charge $15 to $30 for a set. That might not sound like much, but multiply it by every application stage and every family member. Some families end up getting photos taken four or five times throughout a long immigration process as requirements change or photos age past the acceptable time frame.
Biometrics Appointments and Associated Costs
USCIS charges a separate biometrics fee for fingerprinting and photographing applicants. This fee is paid directly to USCIS, but it’s not always included in the advertised filing fees for certain applications. The biometrics fee is currently $85 per person, which means a family of four pays $340 just for fingerprinting appointments.
Some applicants need to take time off work to attend biometrics appointments, which only happen during business hours at specific USCIS Application Support Centers. For people working hourly jobs without paid leave, this represents lost wages on top of the actual fee.
Premium Processing and Expedite Requests
When time matters, USCIS offers premium processing for certain applications, guaranteeing a decision within 15 calendar days. The service costs $2,805 as of 2025, and it’s only available for specific petition types. Workers navigating the h1b to green card transition often face situations where premium processing makes sense despite the hefty price tag, particularly when job changes or visa expirations create time pressure.
Premium processing doesn’t speed up every step of an immigration case though. It only applies to specific forms and petition types. The labor certification process, for example, has no premium option available. Applicants sometimes pay for premium processing without understanding exactly which part of their case it accelerates, leading to frustration when other steps still take months or years.
Legal Fees That Vary Dramatically
Attorney fees represent one of the largest and most variable costs in immigration cases. Simple applications might cost $1,500 to $3,000 in legal fees, while complex cases easily run $5,000 to $15,000 or more. Some attorneys charge flat fees for specific services, while others bill hourly at rates ranging from $200 to $500 per hour.
The challenge is that immigration cases rarely go exactly as planned. What starts as a straightforward application can become complicated when USCIS issues a Request for Evidence requiring additional documentation and legal response. Each RFE means more attorney time and additional fees that weren’t in the original quote.
Some people try to save money by handling applications themselves, but mistakes can be costly. A denied application means losing the filing fee entirely, and reapplying means paying everything again. Worse, certain denials trigger bars to future applications that can take years to overcome. The upfront cost of legal help often proves cheaper than fixing problems caused by errors.
Travel Costs for Required Appointments
Immigration processing sometimes requires travel to specific locations for interviews or appointments. Adjustment of status interviews happen at USCIS field offices, which might be hours away depending on where the applicant lives. Consular processing requires travel to the U.S. embassy or consulate in the applicant’s home country, which means international flights, hotels, and potentially taking weeks off work.
For families processing multiple applications, everyone needs to attend their interview. Parents with young children can’t leave them behind, so family travel costs multiply. If the embassy requests additional documentation or schedules a follow-up appointment, it means making the trip again with all associated expenses.
Document Retrieval From Other Countries
Getting required documents from foreign countries involves costs that catch many applicants off guard. Birth certificates and police clearance certificates often need to be requested from government agencies overseas. Some countries charge significant fees for these documents, and getting them requires paying international shipping both ways.
Using document retrieval services that specialize in obtaining records from specific countries adds convenience but increases costs. These services charge $100 to $300 or more per document depending on the country and how quickly the document is needed. For applicants who lived in multiple countries, these costs multiply.
Replacing Lost or Damaged Documents
Immigration cases span months or years, during which required documents can get lost, damaged, or expire. Passports expire and need renewal. Medical exams are only valid for a limited time – if the case takes longer than expected, the entire exam must be repeated at full cost. Police clearance certificates from some countries expire after six months.
Each time a document needs replacement or renewal, it means paying the associated fees again. This is where cases that drag on due to processing delays become particularly expensive – documents that were valid when first submitted expire and need replacement before the case can move forward.
The Real Budget Picture
When adding up all these costs, a green card application that shows a $1,200 filing fee on the USCIS website easily becomes $5,000 to $10,000 in total expenses for a single person, and $15,000 to $25,000 or more for a family. Complex cases with multiple steps, such as employment-based green cards requiring labor certification, push costs even higher.
Planning for these expenses before starting the immigration process prevents financial strain midway through. Setting aside substantially more than the listed filing fees, accounting for legal representation, and building in a buffer for unexpected requirements helps applicants complete the process without running out of money at critical stages. Understanding that immigration isn’t just expensive but expensive in ways that aren’t immediately obvious makes the financial planning more realistic and the process less stressful.
