A CR1 visa costs about $1,305 to $1,355 in mandatory U.S. government fees, and most couples end up spending somewhere between $1,600 and $2,200 total once the medical exam, police certificates, translations, and photos are added in. Hiring an immigration attorney pushes the total to roughly $4,000 to $6,500. None of the government fees are refundable, and a separate filing fee comes due about two years later to remove the conditions on the green card.
The Four Government Fees
Four separate agencies collect fees at four different points in the CR1 process. Every one is non-refundable, and Form I-130 is not on the list of forms eligible for a USCIS fee waiver.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative — $675 on paper, $625 online. Paid to USCIS at the very start to establish the marriage and the petitioner’s citizenship.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
- Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fee — $325, paid to the National Visa Center after the I-130 is approved.3U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
- Affidavit of Support Review Fee — $120, also paid to the NVC when the sponsor submits Form I-864.3U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
- USCIS Immigrant Fee — $235, paid after the visa is issued and before the spouse travels. This covers processing the visa packet and producing the green card.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Immigrant Fee
Add them together and you get $1,355 with a paper I-130, or $1,305 with the online version.
Medical Exam and Vaccinations
Every CR1 applicant has to pass a medical exam performed by a physician approved by the U.S. embassy or consulate handling the case.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8 Part B Chapter 3 These exams generally run $200 to $500. The country where the exam takes place drives part of the variation; the rest depends on which vaccinations the applicant still needs.
U.S. immigration law requires proof of vaccination against a specific list of diseases, plus any additional vaccines the CDC currently recommends.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Vaccination Requirements Applicants who can produce records of prior shots keep the bill down. Applicants who need several shots administered during the exam land near the top of the range or above it.
Police Certificates, Translations, and Photos
A handful of smaller expenses go to outside providers rather than the government.
Applicants aged 16 and older need police clearance documents from their country of nationality, from any country of current residence where they have lived at least six months, and from any country where they lived a year or more since turning 16.7U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 504.4 – Pre-Appointment Processing Some countries issue these free; others charge $20 to $100 apiece. Applicants who have moved around should budget for several.
Any civil document not in English needs a certified English translation, with the translator attesting to their competence and the accuracy of the work.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Volume 7 Part A Chapter 4 – Documentation Professional services usually charge $30 to $50 per page. Four or five documents can add up to $150 to $250.
Passport-style photos meeting the specified composition standards are required at both the USCIS and consular stages. That expense is small, typically under $15. Certified copies of marriage licenses or other civil records from local government offices add modest fees that vary by jurisdiction.
The Affidavit of Support Income Floor
The financial sponsorship requirement is not a fee, but it can create costs if the petitioner’s income falls short. The petitioner files Form I-864 and must show income at or above 125% of the federal poverty guidelines for their household size. Active-duty military petitioning for a spouse need to meet only the 100% threshold.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
For 2026, a household of two in the 48 contiguous states needs $27,050 in annual income to clear the 125% threshold, with higher figures for Alaska and Hawaii.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support Petitioners prove income with tax returns, W-2s, and pay stubs.
If income comes up short, a joint sponsor can file a separate I-864. The joint sponsor must independently meet the 125% threshold for their own household size plus the sponsored spouse. No extra government fee applies, but gathering the joint sponsor’s paperwork can push a case toward legal help it might otherwise not have needed.
Do You Need an Immigration Attorney?
Nothing in the law requires an attorney for a CR1 case, and many couples file on their own. Flat fees for a straightforward spousal visa case typically run $2,500 to $4,500. Hourly billing runs $200 to $600. Complications — prior immigration violations, criminal history, earlier marriages that need to be documented, a joint sponsor situation — push the fee higher.
The value of an attorney is mostly in avoiding delay. A rejected I-130 because of a missing divorce decree, a Request for Evidence over inconsistent employment dates, or a bungled I-864 household calculation can each add months. For couples with a clean, well-documented case and the patience to read instructions carefully, self-filing works.
How and When Each Fee Gets Paid
The four fees run through three different payment systems, and one of them trips people up.
The I-130 fee goes to USCIS at filing. Paper filers can pay by credit card, debit card, check, or money order; online filers pay through the USCIS portal by card.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Pay With a Credit Card by Mail
The two NVC fees ($325 and $120) are paid through the Consular Electronic Application Center.12U.S. Department of State. Consular Electronic Application Center Here is the catch: the NVC does not accept credit cards or personal checks. Payment must be an electronic check drawn on a U.S. bank account, using a routing number and account number.13U.S. Department of State. NVC Fee Payment FAQs Petitioners without a U.S. checking or savings account need to arrange access to one before this stage.
The $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee is the last one, paid after visa approval and before travel. It runs through the USCIS Electronic Immigration System and accepts credit cards or ACH.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Immigrant Fee – Start Payment The physical green card is not produced until this fee is paid, so pay it before the spouse arrives if you want the card waiting.
The Fee You’ll Pay Two Years Later
The CR1 designation means the marriage is under two years old at the time of entry, so the green card is issued on a conditional basis and lasts only two years. Federal law requires the couple to jointly file Form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) during the 90-day window immediately before the two-year anniversary.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1186a Missing that window can cost the spouse permanent resident status.
The I-751 has its own filing fee, listed on the current USCIS fee schedule.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Unlike the I-130, the I-751 is eligible for a fee waiver through Form I-912 in cases of financial hardship.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver Plan for it. It catches couples off guard because it arrives two years after they thought immigration spending was behind them.
Total Cost at a Glance
- Government fees: $1,305 to $1,355
- Medical exam and vaccinations: $200 to $500
- Police certificates: $0 to $200
- Document translations: $100 to $300
- Photos and certified copies: $15 to $50
- Immigration attorney (optional): $2,500 to $4,500
Self-filed, most couples spend roughly $1,600 to $2,200 to get through the CR1 process. With an attorney, the range runs $4,000 to $6,500 or higher. The I-751 fee two years down the road is separate from all of it, and every government fee here is non-refundable — an early denial means the money is gone.