How much does it cost to sponsor a spouse for a green card?
The honest answer is an itemized list, not one number. This page prices the whole case from the current USCIS fee schedule — the required forms, the optional ones, the affidavit of support, the medical exam — and then the part most fee pages skip: what the help costs, whether that help is an attorney or software. Every figure is cited; totals are arithmetic on the cited figures. This describes costs in general terms; it is not advice about any individual case.
The government fees, itemized (spouse in the U.S.)
Under the current fee schedule (Form G-1055): Form I-130, $675 on paper or $625 online. Form I-485, $1,440 — paper only for family and marriage cases (USCIS restricts online I-485 filing to standalone employment-based cases). Core total: $2,115 all-paper, or $2,065 with the I-130 filed online.
Two optional forms stopped being free in 2024: a work permit while the case is pending (Form I-765) is $260 when filed with a post-April-2024 I-485, and advance parole for travel (Form I-131) is $630. A full packet: $3,005 all-paper, or $2,955 with the I-130 filed online. USCIS fees change periodically — before filing, verify current amounts on the official USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) at uscis.gov/g-1055.
The government fees (spouse abroad)
The USCIS side is the $675 I-130. After approval, the Department of State charges its own immigrant-visa fees at the National Visa Center and consular stage — those amounts are published on travel.state.gov, and this page does not restate them.
The fees people forget
Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, costs nothing to file — but it carries the income requirement: the sponsor must generally show income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (100% for certain active-duty military sponsors). The medical exam (Form I-693) is done by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon who sets their own fee — there is no standard amount.
And the quiet one: USCIS filing fees are generally not refunded if a package is rejected or a case is denied. The $2,115 rides on the paperwork being right.
What the help costs: attorney vs. guided self-filing
An immigration attorney for a marriage-based case typically charges $3,000–$8,000 in legal fees — on top of every government fee above. That is the right money to spend when a case has real legal complexity: criminal history, prior removal proceedings, prior denials, complex admissibility questions.
For a straightforward case, guided self-filing is the middle path: Pop Immigration is $197–$697 one-time, with the evidence checklist, automated document audit on every upload, and — on the form-preparation tiers — the USCIS forms prepared from plain-English answers for review and signature.
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What is the total cost to sponsor a spouse living in the U.S.?
Core government fees: $2,115 on paper ($675 I-130 + $1,440 I-485), or $2,065 if the I-130 is filed online — the family-based I-485 itself is paper-only. With a $260 work permit and $630 advance parole: $3,005 all-paper ($2,955 hybrid). Attorney fees, if used, typically add $3,000–$8,000; guided self-filing adds $197–$697 one-time. Fees change — verify at uscis.gov/g-1055.
What does it cost if the spouse is abroad?
$675 for the I-130 on the USCIS side, then the Department of State's immigrant-visa fees, which are published on travel.state.gov.
Does Form I-864 have a fee?
No — $0 under the current schedule. Its cost is the obligation: the sponsor must generally show income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (100% for certain active-duty military sponsors).
How much is the medical exam?
There is no standard amount — the USCIS-designated civil surgeon sets the fee. USCIS's find-a-civil-surgeon tool locates designated doctors.
Are USCIS fees refundable if the case is rejected or denied?
Generally no. A returned or denied package does not come with its filing fees back — which is why the paperwork is the cheapest part of the case and the costliest to get wrong.
Is a work permit included while the case is pending?
Not anymore for post-April-2024 filings — the I-765 is a separate $260 with a pending I-485, and advance parole (I-131) is a separate $630.