How Much Is Form I-485? Filing Fees, Biometrics, and Medical Exam

The Form I-485 filing fee is $1,440 for anyone age 14 or older, or $950 for a child under 14 whose application is filed together with a parent’s.¹ That number covers only the USCIS processing charge. Once you add the biometric fee, a medical exam, and separate fees for a work permit and travel authorization, a single adult applicant should plan for roughly $2,360 in government fees before any doctor’s bill or attorney invoice.

The Base Filing Fee

USCIS updated its fee schedule effective April 1, 2024. The current fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is $1,440 for applicants 14 and older, with no upper age limit — someone over 78 pays the same amount as a 25-year-old.¹

The reduced $950 fee for children under 14 is conditional. It applies only when the child’s I-485 is filed in the same package as a parent’s I-485. A child under 14 filing on their own owes the full $1,440.¹

Biometric Services Fee

Most applicants also owe a $30 biometric services fee, which pays for the fingerprints, photograph, and digital signature collected at a USCIS Application Support Center and used for background and security checks.² Applicants under 14 and those 79 or older are generally exempt from this fee.

Work Permit and Travel Authorization Fees

Whether you owe anything extra for a work permit (Form I-765) or advance parole (Form I-131) while your I-485 is pending depends entirely on when you filed the adjustment application.

Filed On or After April 1, 2024

Each form now carries its own fee. The employment authorization document costs $260 for adjustment applicants, roughly half the standard I-765 fee. Advance parole on Form I-131 costs $630. Both are on top of the $1,440 I-485 fee.²

Filed Before April 1, 2024

If you filed I-485 and paid the fee before that date, there is no additional charge for I-765 or I-131 while the adjustment case remains pending. The old fee structure bundled those costs into the I-485 fee.²

Medical Exam Costs

Nearly every I-485 applicant must submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, and only a USCIS-designated civil surgeon can complete it. A regular doctor’s visit will not be accepted. As of December 2, 2024, Form I-693 must be submitted with the I-485 at the time of filing, and USCIS may reject a package that arrives without it.³

Civil surgeons set their own prices, and you pay them directly, not USCIS. Base exam fees typically run $150 to $500 depending on location and provider. The base fee usually covers tuberculosis screening, syphilis testing, and an HIV test. Vaccinations and any additional lab work are billed separately: individual vaccine doses commonly range from $50 to $175 each, and lab panels for immunity verification can run $50 to $240 per test.⁴ Bring any existing vaccination records to the appointment. Proof of prior immunizations can reduce the number of shots and blood draws you need.

Who Pays Nothing

Some applicants file Form I-485 with a $0 fee. The exemption is automatic once you mark the correct category on the form. The fee-exempt groups on the current USCIS schedule are:¹

Refugees, and applicants paroled as refugees
Individuals who served honorably on active duty in the U.S. armed forces and are filing as special immigrants (not including non-military derivative spouses or children)
T nonimmigrants (trafficking victims) adjusting status
U nonimmigrants (crime victims) adjusting status
VAWA self-petitioners and their derivatives
Applicants seeking or granted Special Immigrant Juvenile classification
Afghan and Iraqi translators, interpreters, and nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. Government, along with derivative beneficiaries
Abused spouses and children adjusting under the Cuban Adjustment Act or HRIFA
Applicants in removal, deportation, or exclusion proceedings whose fee is waived by the immigration judge

Fee Waivers Using Form I-912

If you don’t fall into an exempt category but can’t afford the fee, you can request a waiver on Form I-912. You’ll need to show one of the following: you or a household member receives a means-tested benefit such as Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI; your household income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; or you face a financial hardship such as extraordinary medical expenses or sudden job loss.⁵ An approved waiver covers both the I-485 filing fee and the biometric fee.

A fee waiver for Form I-485 is available only to applicants exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility, which in practice means it reaches humanitarian categories such as VAWA self-petitioners and T and U nonimmigrants rather than family- or employment-based applicants.⁶⁷

Attorney Fees and Other Costs

Hiring an immigration attorney is not required. Many applicants do, given the complexity of the process. Flat fees for a full I-485 case average around $3,500, and hourly rates typically run $150 to $500. Cases involving prior immigration violations, criminal history, or a waiver of inadmissibility usually cost more.

Budget as well for certified English translations of any foreign-language documents you submit, passport-style photos, and fees for obtaining civil documents like birth certificates or police clearances from abroad. These vary widely by country and language.

How to Pay

For I-485s filed by mail, USCIS accepts two payment methods:⁸

Credit, debit, or prepaid card, authorized on Form G-1450 (the card must be issued by a U.S. bank), placed on top of the application package.⁹¹⁰
ACH bank transfer from a U.S. account, authorized on Form G-1650.⁸

Personal checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, and bank drafts are generally no longer accepted. Paying by paper check now requires an exemption, granted only in narrow situations such as lack of access to banking services or undue hardship from electronic payment.⁸

What to Budget Overall

For a single adult filing on or after April 1, 2024, and also applying for work and travel authorization, a realistic estimate looks like this:

I-485 filing fee: $1,440
Biometric services fee: $30
Employment authorization (I-765): $260
Advance parole (I-131): $630
Medical exam and vaccinations: $200 to $1,000 or more
Attorney fees, if used: $1,500 to $5,000 or more

Government fees alone total $2,360 before the medical exam or any legal help. Plan for the full range before you file. An underfunded or incomplete package can be rejected outright and set the process back weeks.

1
USCIS. G-1055 Fee Schedule
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-693, Instructions for Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
6
USCIS. Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
7
Federal Register. USCIS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1450, Instructions for Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
10
USCIS. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions