I-485 Filing Fee: Add-Ons, Waivers, and How to Pay

The I-485 filing fee is $1,440 for most adults adjusting to permanent resident status, $950 for a child under 14 filing at the same time as a parent, and $0 for several humanitarian categories. That government fee is only part of what you actually spend. A work permit, a travel document, the required medical exam, and translation of foreign records commonly push the real total past $2,000 per person. Here is what each piece costs, who owes nothing, and who can ask for a waiver.

What USCIS Charges by Age

USCIS updated its fee schedule effective April 1, 2024, and the current I-485 amounts are set out in 8 CFR Part 106:

Age 14 and older: $1,440
Under 14, filing at the same time as a parent’s I-485: $950
Under 14, filing separately from a parent: $1,440

The reduced child rate only applies when the child’s application accompanies a parent’s. Filed on its own, a child’s I-485 costs the full adult amount.

Biometrics are already included. Under the 2024 fee rule, USCIS eliminated the separate $30 biometric fee for I-485 applicants and folded it into the filing fee.¹ You will not see a separate biometric line item for this form.

The fee is non-refundable. If USCIS denies your application or you withdraw it, the money is gone. The only exception is when USCIS itself made an error that caused an incorrect filing.² Do not try a credit card chargeback either; USCIS states that fees paid by card are not subject to dispute or forced refund.

Before you file, confirm your total on the USCIS Fee Calculator at uscis.gov/feecalculator. A miscalculation of even a few dollars gets the entire package rejected and returned with no filing date.³

Work Permit and Travel Document Add-Ons

Before April 2024, an applicant could file Form I-765 for a work permit and Form I-131 for advance parole at no extra charge alongside the I-485. That bundled pricing is gone. Each form now carries its own fee:

Form I-765 (employment authorization), filed together with an I-485: $260
Form I-765, filed on its own: $470 online, $520 on paper
Form I-131 (travel document): $630, whether filed with the I-485 or separately

The discounted $260 I-765 fee only applies when you submit it at the same time as an I-485 filed under the current fee schedule.¹ Wait to file the work permit later and you pay the standalone rate.

For someone filing all three forms together, the combined government fees come to $2,330. A family of four filing at the same time can easily face $8,000 or more in USCIS fees alone, before any doctor bills or legal help.

The Medical Exam

Every I-485 applicant needs a completed Form I-693 signed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. You pay this bill directly to the doctor’s office; it is never included in your USCIS fee, and it is never waivable.

The exam itself typically runs $200 to $500, and vaccinations are billed separately. Those can add another $100 to $600 or more depending on what you need.⁴ The CDC requires civil surgeons to verify vaccinations for diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, varicella, and influenza, among others.⁵ Bring any vaccine records you already have; without them, the bill climbs quickly.

Call several civil surgeons before booking. Ask each office for an all-in estimate covering the exam, lab work, and any vaccines you are likely to need. Health insurance rarely covers any of it.

A completed I-693 signed on or after November 1, 2023, is valid only while the I-485 it was submitted with remains pending. If your application is denied or withdrawn, the exam expires and a future filing needs a new one.⁶

Other Costs to Budget For

A few smaller expenses catch people off guard. Any foreign-language document you submit, including birth certificates, marriage certificates, and police records, needs a certified English translation. Professional translators typically charge $20 to $50 per page, more for rare languages or dense legal text. You also need passport-style photos, copies of supporting documents, and sometimes fees to obtain civil records from your home country. None of these are waivable.

Who Pays Nothing

Some applicants owe no filing fee at all, and no fee waiver request is required. The exemption is automatic when you file under the qualifying category:

Refugees adjusting status under INA section 209⁷
VAWA self-petitioners filing under the Violence Against Women Act
T nonimmigrants (trafficking victims) adjusting under INA section 245(l)
U nonimmigrants (crime victims) adjusting under INA section 245(m)
Special Immigrant Juveniles
Certain military members who served honorably on active duty and file under INA section 101(a)(27)(K)

These exemptions cover the I-485 and most associated forms filed in connection with the adjustment.⁸ Do not file Form I-912 if you fall into one of these groups.

Fee Waivers for Applicants Who Cannot Afford to File

If you are not in an exempt category but cannot afford the fees, you can request a waiver on Form I-912. One limitation trips people up: fee waivers for the I-485 are only available if you are exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility under INA section 212(a)(4).⁹ Most family-sponsored applicants are subject to the standard public charge test and therefore cannot get a fee waiver for the I-485 itself. Applicants in categories exempt from public charge, such as asylees, certain parolees, and others covered by specific statutory provisions, may qualify.

When a waiver is available, USCIS looks at three criteria and you only have to meet one:

Means-tested benefit. You, your spouse, your parent (if you are under 21 or disabled), or your child currently receives a benefit like SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Provide proof that shows you as a current recipient.¹⁰
Income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For 2026, that threshold is $23,940 for a single person, $32,460 for a household of two, and $49,500 for a household of four in the 48 contiguous states. Submit tax returns and recent pay stubs.¹¹
Financial hardship. Even with income above 150% of the poverty guidelines, you can qualify by documenting extraordinary expenses such as large medical bills, job loss, or a sudden change in circumstances. Include hospital bills, termination letters, or proof of unemployment benefits.¹²

Receiving public benefits does not hurt your fee waiver request. USCIS has stated that receipt of public benefits does not negatively affect the review of a fee waiver.⁹ The waiver only covers government filing fees, though. It does nothing about the medical exam, translations, or other third-party costs.

How to Actually Pay

Getting the dollar amount right is only half the battle. USCIS rejects packages for payment formatting errors just as readily as for wrong amounts.

Paying by Credit or Debit Card

Complete Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, and place it on top of your filing package. USCIS will only attempt to charge the card once. If it declines for any reason, the whole application is rejected for lack of payment and you start over.¹³ Confirm the card has enough available credit and that your bank will not flag an unexpected charge from the Department of Homeland Security. The Treasury Department caps credit card transactions at $24,999.99 per card per day.

Paying by Check or Money Order

Checks and money orders must be drawn on a U.S. financial institution and made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” Write out the full name; USCIS rejects payments made to “DHS” or “USDHS.”¹⁴ Pay each form’s fee with a separate check. Bundle multiple fees into one check and any defect anywhere in the package forces USCIS to reject the whole thing. Separate checks let them accept the valid filings and return only the problem form.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2024 Final Fee Rule
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part B, Chapter 3 – Fees
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Calculate Your Fees
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Find a Civil Surgeon
5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or After Nov. 1, 2023
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Refugees
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part B, Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-912, Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
11
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1450, Instructions for Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees