EB-2 NIW fees start at $1,015 in mandatory USCIS charges for a self-petitioner and typically land between $10,000 and $20,000 once you add an attorney, supporting evidence, and optional premium processing. That range covers the I-140 petition itself; adjusting to permanent resident status afterward brings a separate set of fees.
USCIS Filing Fees for the I-140
Every petitioner pays a $715 base fee to file Form I-140, regardless of who is filing.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Guidance on Paying Fees and Completing Information for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers On top of that, most petitioners owe an Asylum Program Fee introduced by the April 2024 fee rule:
- Self-petitioners filing their own NIW: $300. USCIS treats individual self-petitioners as small employers, so you must answer “Yes” to Part 1, Question 6 on the I-140 to indicate 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
- Small employers with 25 or fewer employees: $300.
- Larger employers with more than 25 employees: $600.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Guidance on Paying Fees and Completing Information for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers
- Nonprofits: exempt from the Asylum Program Fee, but still owe the $715 base fee.
Watch this: some self-petitioners assume that because they have no employer, they owe no Asylum Program Fee. They do. USCIS has flagged this as a leading cause of intake rejections since the fee rule took effect.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Reminds Certain Employment-Based Petitioners to Submit the Correct Required Fees The wrong fee doesn’t trigger a denial; USCIS rejects the whole filing and sends it back, costing you weeks.
The biometric services fee that used to be charged separately is now folded into the base filing fee.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule All government fees are non-refundable, whether the petition is approved or denied.
Premium Processing
Standard I-140 processing can stretch past a year. Premium processing costs an additional $2,965 as of March 1, 2026, up from $2,805 under a January 2026 inflation adjustment.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees For NIW petitions, USCIS guarantees action within 45 business days, longer than the 15-business-day window that applies to some other I-140 categories.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing “Action” means an approval, denial, or Request for Evidence. It does not mean approval, and it does not influence the outcome.
You request premium processing by filing Form I-907. One catch: if you file your I-140 online, the I-907 cannot ride along in the same submission and must go in by mail separately.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
How You Pay
USCIS changed its payment rules in late 2025. As of October 28, 2025, the agency no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms. You have two electronic options: a credit, debit, or prepaid card via Form G-1450, or an ACH debit from a U.S. bank account via Form G-1650.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds Older guides that reference checks payable to the Department of Homeland Security are out of date.
Online filing is available only for a standalone I-140 with an optional G-28 attorney authorization. If you’re filing the I-140 together with an I-485 adjustment application or an I-907 premium processing request, you file by mail.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
Evidence and Documentation Costs
Government fees are predictable. The evidence package is where budgets swing widely depending on your background.
Credential Evaluations and Translations
A foreign degree needs a credential evaluation from a recognized agency to establish U.S. equivalency. Evaluations run $150 to $400, with surcharges for rush service. Documents not in English need certified translations, usually billed per word; academic records, publications, and other exhibits together commonly run $200 to $1,000.
Expert Opinion Letters
Strong NIW petitions typically include letters from independent experts who analyze your contributions and address why your work carries national importance. These are not casual references. Experts who provide that depth of analysis charge $500 to $2,500 per letter, and most petitions include several.
Business Plans
If your proposed endeavor is a business or commercial venture, a professionally drafted business plan projecting impact adds $1,500 to $3,500. Not every applicant needs one. Researchers and academics with strong publication records generally document their endeavor through other evidence.
Medical Exam
No medical exam is required at the I-140 stage. It becomes mandatory later, at the I-485 adjustment step, when a USCIS-designated civil surgeon completes Form I-693. Exam costs vary by provider because USCIS doesn’t regulate what civil surgeons charge; roughly $200 to $500 is typical, with vaccinations extra.
Attorney Fees
Most NIW applicants hire an immigration attorney. Fees for a complete petition generally run $5,000 to $15,000. Most firms quote a flat fee covering the legal brief, evidence organization, petition assembly, and communication with USCIS. Flat fees give cost certainty, which helps when evaluation, translation, and expert letter bills are already stacking up. Some attorneys bill hourly instead, and totals can land above or below the flat-fee range depending on how the case unfolds.
A few firms offer phased payment plans, and some tie a portion of the fee to approval. Read the retainer carefully. Confirm whether the quoted fee covers a Request for Evidence response, because RFEs are common in NIW cases and often require substantial follow-up work. USCIS doesn’t charge to respond to an RFE, but your attorney will almost certainly bill for the time if it wasn’t included in the original scope.
Costs After the I-140 Is Approved
Approval of the I-140 is a milestone, not the last bill. Permanent resident status carries its own fees, and the path depends on where you are.
Adjustment of Status Inside the U.S.
If you’re in the United States, you file Form I-485. The fee is $1,440 for an adult and $950 for a child under 14 filing concurrently with a parent.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule Each family member files a separate I-485 with a separate fee, so a family of four can face several thousand dollars in filing fees alone before medical exams.
Consular Processing Abroad
If you’re outside the U.S. or prefer to process at an embassy, employment-based cases pay a $345 immigrant visa application processing fee per person.9U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services After the visa issues, you also owe a separate USCIS Immigrant Fee for green card production, paid online before you enter the United States.
The Cost of Waiting
An approved I-140 doesn’t lead directly to a green card if your priority date isn’t current. Applicants born in India and China face significant EB-2 backlogs that can stretch for years. During the wait you may need to maintain a separate nonimmigrant status, with its own renewal fees and legal costs. Factor that into a long-term budget if the backlog for your country suggests a multi-year hold.
Total Cost Ranges
Adding it up, a self-petitioning NIW applicant can plan around these figures:
- USCIS base fee plus Asylum Program Fee: $1,015
- Premium processing, optional: $2,965
- Credential evaluation: $150 to $400
- Translations: $200 to $1,000
- Expert opinion letters: $500 to $2,500 per letter
- Business plan, if needed: $1,500 to $3,500
- Attorney fees: $5,000 to $15,000
A self-prepared petition without premium processing or a business plan runs roughly $2,000 to $3,000 in hard costs at the low end. With an attorney and premium processing, plan on $10,000 to $20,000 before you reach adjustment of status or consular processing. Family members filing their own I-485s push the total higher. For most applicants, none of these fees are tax-deductible, so build your budget from after-tax dollars.