The I-485 filing fee is $1,440 for most applicants age 14 and older, and $950 for a child under 14 who files together with at least one parent’s application. A child under 14 filing alone pays the full $1,440. There is no senior discount; age above 14 does not change the amount.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
USCIS revised its fee schedule in April 2024 and has made additional changes since, so confirm every figure against the current G-1055 before you mail anything.
What the $1,440 Covers
Biometrics are now included. Before April 2024, applicants sent a separate $85 payment for fingerprinting and photographs; that line item no longer exists. The I-485 fee is non-refundable, whether USCIS approves your case, denies it, or rejects the package for a paperwork problem.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
Work Permit and Travel Document Fees
Most adjustment applicants also want a work permit (Form I-765) and advance parole travel document (Form I-131) so they can keep working and traveling while the green card is pending. These used to be bundled into the I-485 fee. They aren’t anymore.
- Form I-765 filed with a pending I-485: $260
- Form I-131 filed with a pending I-485: $630 by paper, $580 online
You pay the same amount for every renewal you file while the I-485 is pending. You can add I-765 or I-131 later rather than at initial filing, but the fee is identical.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
One boundary worth knowing: if you filed your I-485 between July 30, 2007, and April 1, 2024, and it’s still pending, you stay under the old rules. Your I-765 and I-131 remain fee-exempt because those costs were rolled into the I-485 fee you already paid.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
Medical Exam
Nearly every adjustment applicant submits Form I-693, the medical exam report signed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. You pay the doctor directly. USCIS does not regulate the price, and it varies by location and provider.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Finding a Medical Doctor
Plan on somewhere between $200 and $500 or more. Missing vaccinations add to the bill because the civil surgeon will administer them at the visit. Call several designated doctors in your area and ask for a quote before booking. A Form I-693 signed on or after November 1, 2023, stays valid for the entire time the associated I-485 is pending; earlier exams had a two-year window.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8 Part B Chapter 4 – Review of Medical Examination Documentation
Who Pays No Fee
The I-485 fee is automatically waived for three categories of applicants:
- T visa holders (trafficking victims)
- U visa holders (victims of qualifying crimes)
- VAWA self-petitioners
No waiver request is required. Most related forms are also fee-exempt for these applicants.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
Fee Waivers for Low-Income Applicants
Other applicants can request a waiver using Form I-912, but the I-485 fee waiver has a catch. You qualify only if you are exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility. That generally excludes family-based applicants and includes some humanitarian categories.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part B Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
For forms that do qualify, USCIS considers three grounds:
- You currently receive a means-tested benefit like Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, or SSI. Medicare, unemployment, Social Security retirement, and SSDI do not count.
- Your household’s adjusted gross income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size.
- You can document extraordinary financial hardship.
Submit clear evidence with the I-912: benefit award letters, tax returns, or a detailed hardship statement.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
How to Pay
The payment rules changed and trip up a lot of applicants. USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed applications unless a specific exemption applies. If you mail a paper I-485 to a USCIS lockbox, you have two options:7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
- Credit, debit, or prepaid card via Form G-1450, placed on top of the package. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover are accepted.
- Direct bank transfer via Form G-1650, which authorizes USCIS to pull funds from a U.S. bank account.
Filing online? Pay through Pay.gov. Each form in the package needs its own separate payment authorization. A single G-1450 covering multiple forms risks rejection of the whole filing if any amount is wrong. Make sure the money is available when USCIS runs the charge. A declined transaction sends the package back and you lose your original filing date.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
Realistic Total Cost
The $1,440 is only one piece. For an employment-based applicant age 14 or older, the typical outlay looks like this:
- Form I-140 (employer petition): $715
- Asylum Program Fee, paid by employer with the I-140: $300 to $600, or $0 for nonprofits9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Guidance on Paying Fees and Completing Information for Form I-140
- Form I-485: $1,440
- Form I-765: $260
- Form I-131: $580 to $630
- Medical exam: $200 to $500 or more
That’s roughly $3,495 to $4,145 in government and medical costs, before any attorney fees, translations, or passport photos. Family-based applicants skip the Asylum Program Fee but need Form I-130 filed by the sponsor. A couple filing together with a child can easily reach $5,000 or more in government fees alone.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule