In 60 seconds: Getting a green card in the USA usually starts with a family or employer petition, then an application, fingerprints, a medical exam, and an interview. In 2026 the government fees for a typical family case run about $2,115 on paper, and a spouse of a U.S. citizen should plan on roughly 14 to 20 months from filing to card in hand.
- Most people get a green card through family, an employer, the diversity visa lottery, or asylum — family is the most common route.
- Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouse, parent, unmarried child under 21) never wait for a visa number; other relatives wait per the monthly Visa Bulletin.
- Core 2026 government fees: I-130 petition $675 on paper ($625 online), I-485 green card application $1,440 — about $2,115 for the pair.
- USCIS processing-times figures put a spouse-of-citizen I-130 at about 14.5 months and a family-based I-485 at about 10.9 months — totals vary by office.
- A green card granted through a marriage under two years old is conditional for two years; you remove the conditions with Form I-751.
The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
Photo: William Warby, CC BY 2.0
What happened
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people become lawful permanent residents of the United States — and nearly every one of them asks the same three questions first: am I eligible, what does it cost, and how long will it take? The answers changed a lot in recent years. USCIS overhauled its fee schedule in April 2024, work permits and travel documents that used to ride free with a green card application now cost extra, and backlogs mean the timeline on the government website rarely matches real life.
Here's the honest version, with the current numbers, so you can plan around reality instead of rumors. One important note up front: this is general information, not legal advice. Immigration cases turn on individual facts, and a lawyer is worth it when anything about your case is complicated.
Latest verified facts
Who can get a green card. There are four main doors. Family sponsorship is the biggest: a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident petitions for a relative. Employment sponsorship runs through an employer petition (and usually a labor certification first). The Diversity Visa lottery picks about 55,000 people a year from countries with low immigration rates. And people granted asylum or refugee status can apply for a green card one year after their grant. This guide follows the family route in detail, since it's the one most readers take — the forms and fees for the other routes differ.
The steps, in order. For a family case, it goes like this. First, the sponsoring relative files Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, proving the relationship. Second, if the applicant is already in the U.S. in valid status and a visa number is available, they can file Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status, at the same time — that's "concurrent filing." If they're abroad, or no visa number is available yet, they wait for the I-130 approval and then go through consular processing with the National Visa Center instead. Third, biometrics: fingerprints and a photo at an application support center. Fourth, the medical exam, Form I-693, done by a USCIS-approved civil surgeon (the exam itself costs $200 to $500 at the doctor's office — that's not a government fee). Fifth, in most family cases, an interview with a USCIS officer. Then a decision, and if approved, the physical card arrives in the mail a few weeks later.
The visa-number wait. This is the part people misunderstand most. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens — a spouse, a parent, or an unmarried child under 21 — are never subject to annual caps, so there's no visa-number queue; the wait is just processing time. Everyone else in the family categories (siblings of citizens, adult children, spouses and children of green-card holders) gets a "priority date" and waits for it to become current in the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin. For some categories and countries, that wait runs years. Check the bulletin before you assume anything about timing.
Why it matters
Because the two mistakes that cost people the most are both avoidable: paying the wrong fee and filing too early. USCIS rejects applications with incorrect fees outright — even being off by a dollar sends the whole package back — so every figure below comes from the official fee schedule, Form G-1055, edition May 29, 2026. And filing an I-485 before your priority date is current (when one applies) doesn't get you in line faster; it gets you rejected. Timing the filing to the Visa Bulletin is free, and it's the single most valuable thing in this guide.
The fee structure also changed in a way that surprises people. Before April 2024, a work permit (I-765) and a travel document (I-131) filed together with a green card application were free. They aren't anymore: $260 and $630 respectively. If you want to work or travel while your case is pending, that's $890 extra on top of the core filings. Budget for it now rather than discovering it at the mailbox.
Impact on the USA and the world
For readers abroad, the consular path looks a little different: after I-130 approval, the case moves to the National Visa Center, where the applicant files Form DS-260 ($325), pays the affidavit-of-support review fee ($120), completes the medical exam abroad, and interviews at a U.S. consulate. After visa approval, there's one more government charge: the $235 USCIS immigrant fee, which pays for producing the actual card after arrival. Total government fees for a typical consular family case land around $1,355 before the medical exam.
For readers already in the U.S., concurrent filing has a real advantage beyond convenience: once the I-485 is pending, the applicant can usually get a work permit within a few months and, in many cases, travel authorization — which is why the extra $890 for those two documents is money most applicants end up spending anyway.
What happens next
After approval, two things are worth knowing. First, if your green card came through a marriage that was less than two years old on approval day, the card is conditional and valid for two years — you and your spouse file Form I-751 ($750) in the 90 days before it expires to remove the conditions. Second, the road doesn't end at the green card: most permanent residents can apply for U.S. citizenship after five years (three years for spouses of U.S. citizens who meet the conditions). Our guide to that next step is here: U.S. Citizenship Test 2026: The New 128-Question Exam, Explained. And if you're still working out how you'd enter the U.S. in the first place, this comparison helps: ESTA vs Canada's eTA vs Australia's ETA: What Each One Costs in 2026.
One last piece of practical advice: before you pay anything, run your exact forms through the USCIS fee calculator and check the current fee schedule at uscis.gov/g-1055. Fees change, and the schedule — not any article, including this one — is what USCIS charges on the day you file.
What it costs in 2026
| Form | What it is | 2026 fee |
|---|---|---|
| I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | $675 paper / $625 online |
| I-485 | Adjustment of Status (age 14+) | $1,440 ($950 child under 14 filing with a parent) |
| I-765 | Work permit filed with a pending I-485 | $260 |
| I-131 | Travel document filed with a pending I-485 | $630 |
| I-864 | Affidavit of Support | No USCIS fee |
| DS-260 | Immigrant visa application (consular cases) | $325 |
| USCIS immigrant fee | Green card production after a consular case | $235 |
| I-751 | Remove conditions on a 2-year card | $750 |
Bottom line for a typical family case inside the U.S.: $2,115 for the I-130 plus I-485 on paper ($2,065 if the I-130 is filed online), or about $3,005 with the work permit and travel document added. Source: USCIS Form G-1055, edition May 29, 2026. The medical exam ($200–$500 at the doctor's office) and any document translations sit on top of that.
How long it actually takes
USCIS processing-times figures cited across 2026 trackers put a spouse-of-U.S.-citizen I-130 at about 14.5 months and a family-based I-485 at about 10.9 months. Filed concurrently, a spouse-of-citizen case typically runs roughly 14 to 20 months from filing to card in hand — but that's an average across offices, not a promise. A case routed to a backlogged field office can run well past the high end, and preference-category cases add the Visa Bulletin wait on top. The one reliable move: check your own case type and office at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times before making life plans around a date.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file the I-130 and I-485 together? Yes, if you're in the U.S. in valid status and a visa number is immediately available for your category — which is always true for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. Otherwise you file the I-130 first and wait for your priority date to become current.
How much does a marriage green card cost in 2026? About $2,115 in government fees on paper for the I-130 plus I-485 ($2,065 with the I-130 filed online), or about $3,005 with a work permit and travel document included. The medical exam and translations are extra.
Do I need a lawyer to apply? Not legally — many straightforward family cases are filed without one. But if you have any overstay, prior denial, criminal issue, or complicated history, professional advice is strongly recommended before filing anything.
Can I work while my green card case is pending? If you filed an I-485, you can apply for a work permit (Form I-765, $260 with a pending I-485). Many applicants receive it within a few months of filing, though times vary.
What happens if my case is denied? It depends on the reason and your status. Some denials can be appealed or reopened with a motion; others leave you needing a different path. A denial letter explains the specific options — read it carefully and get advice quickly, since deadlines are short.
Sources: USCIS Form G-1055 Fee Schedule, edition May 29, 2026; USCIS processing-times tool figures as cited by 2026 trackers (I-130 spouse of U.S. citizen ~14.5 months; family-based I-485 ~10.9 months); U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin; USCIS I-130, I-485, I-864, DS-260 and I-751 form instructions.
Informational only — not legal advice. Always verify current fees at uscis.gov/g-1055 and your case's processing time at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times before filing.