How much are immigration lawyer fees for a spouse visa?
Immigration lawyer fees for a spouse visa run $3,000 typical, one flat fee for the I-130 petition, the National Visa Center stage and interview prep; quotes go from $1,500 for a bare petition to $6,000.
Firms price a consular spouse visa as one engagement, not by phase: she lands with the green card, so there is no I-485 and no second fee. Government fees of $1,355 sit on top. We'd pay the fee for a joint sponsor, a prior denial or children on the petition, and skip it for a first marriage with W-2 income and a clean record.
Flat fee for the I-130 petition, NVC stage and embassy interview · government fees not included · IR-1 and CR-1 priced the same
Facts to plan around
- $3,000Typical flat fee for a CR-1 or IR-1 from petition to embassy interview, one applicant
- $1,355Government fees paid on top of any lawyer, I-130 through the green card
- $500Joint-sponsor I-864 add-on at the two firms that itemize it, even inside full service
- $1,000–3,000Per child added to the petition, the widest spread between firms on one line
- $750I-751 fee two years after a CR-1 entry; no firm's spouse visa quote includes it
Lawyer fees by spouse visa route
Ranges from the 2026 fee pages of the firms that rank for this question and three flat-fee guides. The US consular route is the one most readers here need. Canada, the UK and Australia are the calculator's other destinations, where a migration agent or solicitor plays the lawyer's part at similar prices.
| Route | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| CR-1 / IR-1 spouse, consular (US) | $1,500 | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| K-1 fiancé + I-485 (US) | $1,500 | $3,500 | $7,000 |
| Spousal sponsorship (Canada) | $1,500 | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Partner visa (UK) | $1,200 | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| Partner visa 309/100 (Australia) | $2,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 |
What one flat fee buys
The I-130 with its evidence packet, the civil-document upload and DS-260 at the National Visa Center, your I-864 as the only sponsor, answers to routine government letters and a mock interview before the embassy date. The firm that ranks first for this question charges $2,995 for that list, the second $3,000, the top of the page $5,500. Anything under $2,000 usually covers the petition alone; ask which of the three stages the number includes.
Why a spouse visa has no second phase
A K-1 fiancée arrives, marries and files an I-485, which is where K-1 lawyers earn their second fee. A CR-1 or IR-1 spouse arrives with the green card already approved, so the engagement ends at the embassy. The only later filing is the I-751 for couples married under two years at entry, $750 in government fees, and none of the firms on this page prices representation for it.
When the fee earns itself
A joint sponsor, because your income sits under 125% of the poverty guideline, adds a second I-864 at $500 even with a lawyer. A prior visa denial or overstay on either side, children on the petition at $1,000–3,000 each, or a Request for Evidence, billed at $1,000–1,500 by firms that don't include it. Those files draw questions, and a lawyer's answer is worth $3,000.
When to file the CR-1 yourself
First marriage for both of you, W-2 income above the guideline, photos and tickets from a trip together, no records. The National Visa Center stage is uploads and a form; the I-864 for a single sponsor is arithmetic. That describes most couples who met on a platform and married abroad, and the $3,000 buys a second trip instead.
What the quote leaves out
- Government fees, I-130 through the green card$1,355
- Joint-sponsor I-864, when your income is below the guideline$500
- Each child added to the petition$1,000–3,000
- Response to a Request for Evidence, if not included$1,000–1,500
- Medical exam with a panel physician$200–$700
- I-751 two years after a CR-1 entry$750
Consular spouse visa or green card from inside the US
Lawyers price the two tracks differently, and the one where she is already in the US is not the cheaper one.
| Consular CR-1 / IR-1 | Adjustment inside the US | |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer fee | $3,000 typical, one engagement to the embassy interview | $4,000–4,500 at the firms that price both tracks; I-130 plus I-485 |
| Government fees | $1,355 to the green card | $2,115 for I-130 plus I-485 in the same firm's list, work permit and travel document extra |
| Where she waits | Abroad, 12 to 24 months | In the US, only if she entered legally on another visa |
| Work and travel | On arrival, green card in hand | After the I-765 and I-131 are approved, months after filing |
Add this to your full budget
On the CR-1 route the lawyer is $3,000 of a $22,400 typical path; switch the lawyer off in the calculator to see the same path without one.
Questions people ask before signing a fee agreement
How much should an immigration lawyer cost to file a marriage visa?
$3,000 is a fair flat fee for a consular spouse visa in 2026: the I-130, the National Visa Center upload and interview prep in one price. The firms that rank for this question quote $2,995, $3,000 and $5,500; anything under $2,000 usually means the petition alone. Government fees add $1,355 whatever you pay the lawyer.
How much does a lawyer charge for a partner visa?
$4,000 typical in Australia for a subclass 309 partner visa, $2,000 to $8,000, and the government charge alone is $8,399. A UK partner visa runs $2,500 in solicitor fees on top of $6,982 in application fee and health surcharge. Canadian spousal sponsorship: $3,000 plus $970. Migration agents and solicitors quote flat fees the same way US firms do.
What are the fees for a spousal visa?
$1,355 in government fees for a CR-1 or IR-1 from petition to green card: I-130 $675, DS-260 $325, I-864 review $120, USCIS immigrant fee $235. Add the medical exam at about $350 and, for a CR-1, the I-751 at $750 two years after entry. A lawyer's $3,000 is separate and optional.
How much does an immigration lawyer cost for a marriage green card?
$4,000 to $4,500 at the firms that price both tracks, against $3,000 to $5,500 for the consular spouse visa, so the lawyer is not cheaper when she is already in the US. Adjustment of status means an I-485 on top of the I-130, $1,440 in government fees, plus a work permit and travel document she would otherwise have on arrival; marrying abroad and filing the CR-1 keeps it to one fee and one filing.
What is the $5,000 immigration fee and who is charged it?
Not a spouse visa fee. The $5,000 in 2025 and 2026 news is a set of penalties and fees for asylum, parole and unlawful-entry cases under new legislation; none of the seven firm pages that rank for spouse visa fees mentions it. A spouse entering on a CR-1 pays $1,355 in government fees, and the only way to reach $5,000 is a full-service lawyer at the top of the range.
Sources and date
Every figure on this page was checked against the source on the date shown.
- Solomon Immigration Law, spousal visa attorney fees ↗Checked Sep 12, 2026
- Marriage Visa Services, CR-1 and IR-1 fees ↗Checked Sep 12, 2026
- Law Office of William Jang, spouses of US citizens ↗Checked Sep 12, 2026
- Modern Law Group, pricing ↗Checked Sep 12, 2026
- Law Offices of Ajay K. Arora, fees ↗Checked Sep 12, 2026
- USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055 ↗Checked Sep 11, 2026
- Department of State, visa fees ↗Checked Sep 11, 2026
- USCIS Immigrant Fee ↗Checked Sep 11, 2026