How Much Did It Cost You?

[ainsn 13]

This is a question for all those who have successfully brought their spouse to the US through an I-130 petition: How much did the ENTIRE process cost you, from start (filling out the forms) to finish (picking up your spouse at a US airport)? I'm trying to figure out how much money I need to set aside for this in the months to come!

[X Factor 1,112]

It's still costing me

[Boggy1974 124]

It's still costing me

Hahaha! That's the best laugh I've had all day Mr Smiley!

Seriously though, if I think about it, petitioning a loved one is a lifetime of cost (investment).

[florida4life 29]

420+240+88+165=913

I-130= $420

IV= $240

AOS= $88

USCIS Immigrant Fee= $165

DHL ?????

[ainsn 13]

Hahaha! That's the best laugh I've had all day Mr Smiley!

Seriously though, if I think about it, petitioning a loved one is a lifetime of cost (investment).

No lie. It really is!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

This is a question for all those who have successfully brought their spouse to the US through an I-130 petition: How much did the ENTIRE process cost you, from start (filling out the forms) to finish (picking up your spouse at a US airport)? I'm trying to figure out how much money I need to set aside for this in the months to come!

ALL of it. The fees are not even on the radar and I brought my wife with TWO sons, so paid all the fees x 3 and they are not even a "blip" compared to all the other costs.

And why stop at the airport????????? Alla began a master's degree 5 days after arriving and even with a 50% private grant, that cost $32,000 and she lived at home! Tuition and books ONLY. Electric bill tripled (who'da thunk it) a teenage boy eats more in a week than I do in a month and we had TWO of them.

The real expenses BEGIN at the airport.

The fees barely amount to a brake job for the CAR you will buy, they hardly equal the clothes and cooking utensils she left behind that needed to be replaced. Annual trips to Ukraine for FOUR people, college education for one of the boys, so far, the next one starting this year. Alla's set of winter tires cost more than citizenship.

Seriously? The fees are pocket change, and if they are not pocket change, you are going to have bigger problems.

BTW the fees represent the best value in the world. You get LPR status and eventually citizenship and access to the most powerful economy in the world!

I am not complaining, I love my family and they can have ALL the money. That is what I work for and have no need or desire to do anything with money except benefit my family...but fees are really nothing.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Gary and Alla

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It's still costing me

Of course. Because the visa is the START, not the finish. It is even the START of the fees because the AOS, ROC and Citizenship come AFTER the plane lands. The visa is a throw-away. Fire and forget. One time and done.

Afterwards comes life, and life is far more expensive than fees.

[ainsn 13]

So there aren't any extra costs besides the fees listed on the uscis website and the plane ticket?

[Rukie 1]

The medical can get kind of pricey, but its hard to put an official price label on that because it will depend on local pricing and how many injections you need. My husband had to pay close to $400 when all was said and done.

[Darnell 8,478]

11 million dollars.

plan accordingly, aye?

[Mntjc 14]

- at USCIS: I-130 $420

- at NVC: IV $240

- and AOS $88

- USCIS Immigrant Fee $165

- Medical exam (check specifics for your country, for Belgium 100 euros)

- Postal fees for mailing the 3 packages I130, IV and AOS (we used our normal "cheaper" belgian postal services, worked fine)

- copies or fees to get some certificates / police / marriage / birth certificates

- flight or train or car to go to the medical exam

- flight or train or car to go to the interview

- flight or train or car to go to pick the visa (if not delivered the same day as interview)

- flight to the US! :-)

[GandD 5,966]

11 million dollars.

plan accordingly, aye?

Nice

[The Mean Lady 604]

dont forget costs for long form bc and police cert

everyone leaves those off

[Ms Hogan 295]

I-130 = $1260 ($420 x 3 for us)

Courier to send the package = $40ish

Long Form BC $105 ($35 x 3)

Passport photos for I-130, Interview, new passports and Medical = $100 (approx total for all of them)

Police Certificate $45

NVC Fees = $690 ($230 x 3 for us)

New passports for the kids so they don't expire too soon after moving $134

Medicals $600 ($300 for me + $150 for each child)

Train tickets to Montreal $350

Hotel in Montreal $300

And then the fee for the green cards. I think it is $165 for each of us? So $495 but don't quote me on that since I'm not sure of the amount.

So for us our grand total for our CR1/2s is $4119 if I'm remembering everything accurately.

[eaglekiwi 2]

Wow! (wished I had known about this site many moons ago)

Hello everyone ,Im new here, I posted somewhere else and they kindly put in the url for here. I just got done reading the costs involved along with some very witty comments...the pursuit of life and happiness comes at a price everywhere huh..

My hubby is American ,I am the Kiwi and we have begun our journey all ####### about ( to put it bluntly)...only God knows if we can afford all the fees and other costs involved now ,but we will give it our best shot.

We married in NZ 2008, after a long engagement, then we travelled to the states ,then I came back to NZ for family reasons, while my husband remained in the states. Now I/he/we must begin the paper war. Acutally we did try stateside,but one document was not right or incomplete ,then unemployment hit. bottom line ,no money left. That was 3yrs ago we were gutted as it took time and the cost of a U.S medical ($300) which was returned unopened anyway..grrr...

Today in the U.S my husband lodged a 1-130. (for me)

Ahh what was the world like before Immigration policies I ponder

Edited September 10, 2013 by eaglekiwi