What are the costs involved in immigrating to the United States?

To immigrate to the US & be a permanent resident is not only long & tedious but is also an expensive process. The cost to immigrate to the US including the entire process will be around $4000 to $12,000.

Hence, to know about all the costs involved to immigrate to the US from India & other regions of the world, Let’s break up the costs: -

1) USCIS Forms

When an individual applies with the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), you need to pay several fees. The fee for applying depends on the type of your residency application.

People who are applying for a non-immigrant status are cheaper than the immigrant petition. For example, a petition filed for a non-immigrant worker is $460 in 2021. But for an immigrant petition, the applicant has to cough up $700.

You can read-USCIS: Flexibilities to applicants filing Form I-765 for OPT.

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To read related articles-

• US service members and veterans can now file Form N-400 online
• New update regarding the Form I-130 of the US
• The US launches a new form to report immigration fraud
• A new Form I-9 for the US is now available
• USCIS hikes Premium Processing Fee for Form I-129 & I-140

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2) Petition Fees

The amount you will have to pay a petition fee will differ depending on the nature of your application. While the fee will be nil for the asylum seekers, for all other petitions, there are fixed filing fees.

You can also read-USCIS revises fees, effective from October 2 & Refund and cancellation to get a better idea of the fee structure.

3) Legal Fees

Hiring an attorney is not mandatory for the applicants but having one can help the process easier when it comes to the constant change in the immigration rules. The standard legal fee for an immigration lawyer ranges from $3000 to $4000 for an H-1B visa.

In case of special circumstances like deportation, the fees can easily rise to $10,000. Apart from that family-based petition can cost you anywhere between $800 to $1,500. Please click on the above-mentioned links related to the USCIS fee structure.

4) Medical Costs

The U.S.A requires all applicants to undergo a medical exam & receive certain vaccinations before entering the country. You will be required to get vaccinated for diseases like mumps, measles, and polio.

You can also read- What is the immigration medical exam for US LPR status?

5) Naturalization Process

The current fee for the naturalization process for US Citizenship applications is $725. It also includes $640 for application processing & $85 for biometric services. Both these fees are non-refundable whether the application is approved or rejected.

6) Others

There are also other costs involved such as taking preparation classes for your citizenship test. Fees will differ based on the provider of such classes. Furthermore, if you have a criminal record, you will have to submit additional documents & forms or pay for legal help.

As you have gone through all the involved costs to immigrate to the US, it is up to you to make & take a well-informed decision. It is your hard-earned money, so spend it wisely.

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If you are looking to Migrate, Study, Invest, Visit, or Work Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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