EB-1A costs: every green card fee, for you and your family

The EB-1A has an advantage you can measure in dollars: no employer, no labor certification and no investment. What remains are the government fees for the petition, for the green card itself and for every person who comes with you. On top of that come costs you won't find on any fee schedule, from the doctor to translations.

This article runs through every government fee, based on the USCIS fee schedule as of October 16, 2026 and the State Department fee schedule. It shows when premium processing makes sense, how the two routes to the green card differ, what a family pays and which costs follow once you have the green card. For an overview of the category, see the EB-1A green card guide.

1The bill in three stages

Every EB-1A follows the same pattern. In stage one, you file the petition with USCIS on Form I-140. It answers only one question: do you meet the requirements of the category? In stage two, you apply for the green card itself, either in the USA on Form I-485 (adjustment of status) or from your home country as an immigrant visa at the consulate. Stage three covers the costs that come on top of the forms: doctors, translations, travel and, where needed, an attorney.

All USCIS fees are listed in Form G-1055, the official fee schedule. The version in force on the day your filing arrives is what counts; with the wrong fee, USCIS rejects the application. A new fee rule taking effect on November 30, 2026 applies, by its title and content, only to the EB-5 investor program. It does not change the EB-1A fees.

For paper filings, you pay by credit card with Form G-1450 or by direct debit from a US account with Form G-1650. If you can use neither, you need a waiver under Form G-1651. USCIS never accepts cash. Online, you pay by credit, debit or prepaid card or by bank withdrawal, and under the fee schedule filing online is often $50 cheaper.

2Stage one: the petition

Form I-140 costs $715 on paper and $665 online. On top comes the Asylum Program Fee, a charge that the fee schedule attaches to every I-140. How much it is depends on who files the petition. Regular employers pay $600, small employers $300, nonprofits nothing. Under the fee schedule, self-petitioners also pay $300.

For USCIS to recognize the reduced fee, you need to answer two questions on the form correctly. According to the USCIS instructions for Form I-140, self-petitioners check No for question 5 on nonprofit status and Yes for question 6 on the number of full-time employees. If you pay the full $600 without claiming the reduction, USCIS accepts your full payment.

So if you file the petition for yourself on paper, stage one costs you $1,015, or $965 online. The table shows the amounts at a glance. For how self-petitioning works step by step, read Self-petitioning without an employer.

3Premium processing: what the $2,965 buys

Form I-907 buys you speed. For EB-1A petitions (code E11), USCIS commits to taking action within 15 business days. Action, as USCIS defines it, means approving, denying, or issuing a Request for Evidence or a notice of intent to deny. The fee is $2,965, online or on paper, and comes on top of all other fees. It is paid separately.

Three points decide whether it pays off. First, premium processing speeds up only the petition, not stage two; USCIS decides the green card application at its normal pace. Second, the fee doesn't buy a better decision. A weak petition just gets denied, or hit with a Request for Evidence, sooner. Third, there is a formal rule: if you file I-140 and I-907 together, USCIS instructions require you to file by mail. If your I-140 is already pending, you can add the premium processing request later.

Premium processing makes the most sense when a deadline is looming: a temporary visa about to expire, a child about to turn 21, a planned move. How long processing takes without it is covered under processing times.

4Stage two in the USA: adjustment of status

If you live in the US in valid status, for example on an O-1 or an L-1, you can apply for your green card there with Form I-485. Under 8 CFR 245.2(a)(2)(i)(B), you may file it together with the I-140 if a visa number would be immediately available. According to USCIS data as of June 2026, that was the case in the first preference category for applicants from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Whether you may adjust from your status is a separate question, and it belongs in your planning before you pay any fees.

Form I-485 costs $1,440 on paper and $1,390 online, for each person aged 14 or older. Children under 14 filing together with a parent pay $950 on paper or $900 online. According to USCIS, your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can receive the green card with you as E14 and E15; each of them files a separate application.

Two forms are optional. Form I-765 gets you a work permit while your case is pending; with an I-485 filed with a fee on or after April 1, 2024, it costs $260. Form I-131 is for advance parole, a travel permit that lets you leave the country and return during the process; it costs $630 on paper or $580 online. USCIS accepts the medical exam on Form I-693 free of charge. The doctor, the civil surgeon, sets their own fee.

5Stage two from home: the consulate

If you live in Europe, the route after an approved petition usually runs through the consulate. The fees are lower but split differently. Under its fee schedule in 22 CFR 22.1, the State Department charges $345 per person for employment-based immigrant visas. Every family member applying for a visa pays this fee, children included.

On top comes the USCIS Immigrant Fee of $235 per person immigrating as a permanent resident. It covers USCIS processing your visa packet and producing the green card. USCIS recommends paying it online after you pick up your visa and before you travel to the USA; without this payment, you won't get the card. Before the interview comes the medical exam with a panel physician named by the consulate; you pay their fee directly. Add the trip to the consulate and overnight stays.

Which route is cheaper, the numbers in the next section will show. But which route is right depends less on fees than on your life: where you work, whether your kids are in school and whether you need to travel during the process.

6What your family costs: two worked examples

The table works through a typical example: you, your spouse and two children aged 16 and 10, a self-petition filed on paper, government fees only. If you adjust status in the US, the family pays $6,285 without options; through the consulate, $3,335. With Premium Processing, that becomes $9,250 and $6,300.

Almost the entire difference comes from the second stage. In the US, every person aged 14 or older pays $1,440 for the I-485; through the consulate, every person pays $345 plus $235. In return, adjustment of status gives you something the consulate does not: you stay in the country while your case is pending. A work permit and travel permit cost extra if you need them. Through the consulate they are not needed, because the green card itself lets you work and travel.

For a family with younger children, the US total is lower, because children under 14 pay the reduced fee of $950. For a single applicant, adjustment of status comes to $2,455 on paper and the consulate route to $1,595, both without Premium Processing.

7What no fee schedule shows

Government fees are the smaller part, and the easiest to talk about. On top of them come costs you control yourself.

7.1Translations

Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), every foreign-language document needs a complete English translation, with the translator certifying that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. For an EB-1A that often means dozens of pages: certificates, diplomas, press articles, contracts. The cost depends on the volume. The biggest saving comes from deciding early which pieces of evidence really carry weight; the article on evidence and recommendation letters shows which ones.

7.2Experts and letters

Recommendation letters and expert opinions cost nothing at USCIS. They do cost time, though, yours and their authors'. Plan them early.

7.3Attorney

The law does not require an attorney. You may file the petition yourself. Many applicants have a US immigration attorney prepare the cover letter and the file; each attorney sets their own fees. Our own services and fees are listed on the Services & Fees pages, not in this article.

7.4If it doesn't work out

A Request for Evidence carries no fee, only time and possibly new evidence. If USCIS denies the petition, an appeal or a motion to reconsider on Form I-290B costs $800. When that is worth it and when a new petition is the better choice is explained in the article EB-1A green card denied.

8Costs after the green card

The green card starts a bill that many people underestimate: tax. Under the IRS green card test, you are a resident for US federal tax purposes as soon as you hold a green card at any point in a calendar year. That applies until you give up the status in writing or it is terminated administratively or by a court. As a tax resident, you report your worldwide income in the US, including rent, interest and dividends from your home country. We sort out what your first return looks like in the US tax return.

Later, if you want to become a citizen, the naturalization application on Form N-400 costs $760 on paper or $710 online under the fee schedule. When you can file it is covered in the article Becoming a US citizen. Until then, the bottom line is: EB-1A fees are manageable; preparation decides whether you succeed.

In short

• As a self-petition, the petition costs $715 on paper or $665 online, plus a $300 Asylum Program Fee instead of the $600 charged to regular employers.
• Premium Processing costs $2,965 and obliges USCIS to act on the petition within 15 business days; it says nothing about the outcome.
• In the US, the green card application costs $1,440 per person aged 14 or older; through the consulate you pay a $345 visa fee and a $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee per person.
• For a family of four, government fees alone come to $3,335 (consulate) or $6,285 (adjustment of status in the US), or $6,300 or $9,250 with Premium Processing.
• Medical exam, translations, travel and attorney come on top and appear on no fee schedule.

How we help you

• Visa RoadmapIn writing: which visa fits you and your family, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team.
• Visa and Green Card ConsultationWhich route to the USA fits you, settled in one conversation.
• Your US Tax ReturnForm 1040 or 1040-NR, handled in English.
• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.