New green card processing fee

Effective February 1, 2013, USCIS will charge a new fee of $$165 for processing permanent resident visas filed abroad.

According to USCIS, the new "immigrant fee" is to recover the costs of processing immigrant visas after individuals receive their visa packets from the U.S. Department of State (DOS) when they do consular processing abroad.

This new fee is in addition to the other costs associated with the immigrant visa application charged by DOS and will serve to cover the costs of the personnel who have to organize, file and maintain the immigrant visa packet. It will also cover the cost of producing and delivering the permanent resident card.

To simplify and centralize the payment process, applicants will be required to pay electronically through the USCIS website after receiving their DOS visa package and before departing for the United States.

Applicants will be provided with specific information on how to make the payment when they attend their consular interview.

More details about the new tariff can be found in the Federal Register. For more information about the immigrant fee, you can visit the USCIS website by clicking here.