Applicants who file from within the United States through a request to adjust status will generally pay $1,760 in fees. (All figures not including medical exam fees, or the potential need for waiver)
The following fee amounts are correct only if the applicant’s age is between 14 and 78. The required fees are as follows:
- During the initial application, which revolves around form I-130, the sum of $535 needs to be paid to USCIS. The form I-130A have no fees.
- During the detailed application, which revolves around form I-485, the following fees need to be paid to USCIS:
- $1,140 for the processing of form I-485
- $85 for biometric services
- Note that there are no fees associated with the affidavit of support in this adjustment of status scenario
- A fee associated with the medical exam: these fees should be paid to the doctor (civil surgeon) directly, not to the U.S. government. Fees vary from country to country and doctor to doctor. Fees also vary depending on the tasks that the doctor performs. For instance, if the applicant is re-doing all of his or her vaccinations, the fees will be higher than if he or she has vaccination records.
Note that when the adjustment of status is with concurrent filing, the fees associated with forms I-130, I-485, and the biometric services are due together, as the initial and detailed applications are filed together.
If form I-485 is filed in the same envelope with the form I-485 of at least one parent, the child’s fee is $750 (instead of $1,140 for an adult):
For biometrics:
The most difficult part of the payment process is having access to a U.S.-based account, as the personal check “must be drawn on U.S. financial institutions and payable in U.S. funds.” When writing checks, keep in mind:
- Write in that day’s date U.S. style, meaning in month/day/year order. For example, write July 4, 2015, as 7/4/15.
- If the check must be sent to the Department of Homeland Security, write “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” on the “Pay to the Order of” line. Do not use DHS or USDHS.
- Use numbers to write the exact dollar amount of the fee for the service you are requesting. An amount of 420 dollars is “$420.00.”
- Below the “Pay to the Order of” line, spell out the exact dollar amount of the fee. The “cents” portion of the amount should be written as a fraction over 100. In this example, you would write “Four hundred and twenty dollars and 00/100.”
- In the “Memo” field at the bottom left, write a brief description of the purpose of your payment. For instance: “I-485 application fee.”
- Sign the check using your legal signature.
USCIS accepts bank drafts, cashier’s checks, certified checks, and money orders in addition to personal checks (always from a U.S. financial institution). Make sure there are sufficient funds in the account. The check is transformed into an electronic fund transfer as soon as it is received, so it is cashed very quickly.