No professional body publishes a fee survey, so every figure you will see is one firm's price list. Here are several, labelled as such.
| Matter | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| EB-2 NIW (I-140 petition) | $6,800 – $14,500 |
| H-1B petition | $2,000 – $5,500 — usually employer-paid |
| Marriage green card, adjustment of status | $2,500 – $4,000 |
| Family green card, consular processing | $3,000 – $3,500 |
| I-130 petition alone | ~$2,000 |
Data points behind these: American Visa Law Group publishes $6,800 for an NIW, $2,750 for an H-1B, $3,500 for adjustment of status and $2,000 for a standalone I-130. Powell Immigration Law publishes $12,500 to $14,500 for an NIW, $3,500 to $5,500 for an H-1B and $4,000 for adjustment of status.
The NIW spread — roughly double from one end to the other — is the widest in the table, and it reflects genuinely different levels of work. A firm building a full evidentiary argument for a discretionary petition is doing something different from one assembling a filing.
Attorney fees never include these.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| I-140 | $715 |
| Asylum Program Fee — self-petitioner | $300 |
| I-130, paper / online | $675 / $625 |
| I-129F (K-1) | $675 |
| I-485, aged 14+ | $1,440 |
| I-765 with I-485 | $260 |
| I-131 with I-485 | $630 |
| Immigrant visa application (DS-260) | $325 per person |
| I-864 Affidavit of Support review | $120 |
| I-140 premium processing (from 1 March 2026) | $2,965 |
Also outside the attorney fee: biometrics, medical examinations, certified translations, credential evaluations, courier charges.
An NIW at the lower end of the attorney range plus government fees is therefore around $7,800 before premium processing, and around $10,800 with it.
Flat fee is the norm for defined filings — a petition, an adjustment package. It gives you certainty, and it is what most immigration firms quote.
Hourly is usual for litigation, removal defence, and anything genuinely unpredictable.
With a flat fee, the important question is not the number but the scope. Ask specifically:
That depends entirely on the case.
For a straightforward marriage-based adjustment with no complications, many people file successfully alone. The main cost is your time and care.
For an EB-2 NIW, the calculation has changed. Approval rates on NIW have fallen sharply since USCIS tightened its guidance in January 2025 — one firm's analysis of USCIS data puts them at roughly 46% in the first half of FY2026 against 96% before 2025. Against a $1,015 government filing fee and months of waiting, professional preparation is a different proposition than it was two years ago.
For anything involving a criminal record or a prior immigration violation, the cost of a lawyer is small against the cost of getting it wrong.
Many firms offer a paid consultation — often $150 to $400 — or a document review of a petition you have prepared yourself.
For a borderline case, that is the highest-value spend in this whole area. It either confirms you can proceed alone or identifies the problem that would have sunk the filing.
Verify they are licensed. Only attorneys in good standing with a US state bar and DOJ-accredited representatives may represent you. Get a written retainer agreement setting out scope and fee, keep receipts, and confirm they file Form G-28. See how to choose an immigration lawyer.