CR1 Cost & Fees
The government filing fees for applying for a spouse visa from abroad is $1,200. This excludes the cost of the immigration medical exam, which varies depending on the provider.
Below is a breakdown of costs you can expect when applying for a marriage green card from outside the United States:
Government Fees |
Variable Costs |
| Everyone pays these. | Varies based on your situation. |
| Form I-130 Filing Fee: $535 | Travel Costs |
| State Department Processing: $325 | Medical Exam (Usually around $200) |
| Financial Support Form (I-864): $125 | Assistance (ie. RapidVisa or an attorney) |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee: $220 | |
| Total Government Fees: $1,200 |
Unlike the K1 visa, you won't need to adjust status with a spouse visa, as the green card is included.
CR1/IR1 Visa Costs & Fees Breakdown
Form I-130 Filing Fee - $535
This is the fee required to get the ball rolling with your petition. It goes along with the Form I-130 in the initial filing of the CR1/IR1 visa petition.
State Department Processing - $325
This is the fee to process the DS-260 green card application.
Financial Support Form - $125
This fee covers the affidavit of support form, wherein your sponsor promises to financially support you.
Immigrant Fee - $220
The immigrant fee is paid via the USCIS Electronic Immigration System and is required for the green card.
Medical Exam - $100-$500
This cost varies based on the country for your interview. It is paid directly to a medical facility determined by the U.S. Consulate.
Travel Expenses - (Varies)
The cost for the foreign spouse to travel to the U.S. after the vis can vary from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Also if the beneficiary is not from the city where the consulate interview will take place, they will need to pay for travel costs to get there.
Assistance - (Varies)
Lawyers can average from around $1,800 to about $3,000 for a straightforward case. RapidVisa's assistance starts at $499 and has payment plans starting at $139 per month. Other agencies charge around $800-1,400.
Miscellaneous
Other costs you should consider are:
Postage - Getting files back and forth between you, your spouse, your agency/attorney, and the government at various steps. If your attorney or agency uses secure document transfer, it can save time and money.
Cost of Acquiring Certain Evidence - Hunting down bank statements or birth certificates can add to the tally.
Passport - If the foreign spouse doesn't already have a passport, he or she will need to acquire one.
Passport Photos - Passport photos are required for the visa. Make sure the beneficiary gets them in the right size and based on USCIS requirements.
Children - Consider extra USCIS & NVC fees, as well as immigrant fee and medical exams if the child CR2/IR2 applicant accompanies the CR1/IR1 applicant.
Translation Service - If you need certain documents translated, and don't have a friend to do it for you, this could add to your cost.