From Fiance to Citizenship

[Steph and Wagner 1]

I have just started my journey to bring my fiance to the USA and I have been working with a lawyer. I have choosen to have a lawyer help me along the way to assure accuracy in applications, fees, requirements, proofs, and so on. So far I have paid $1500 and my lawyer assures me 100% success to bring my fiance to the USA. Has anyone completed the journey and receive a final expense cost $$ for all medical exams, fees, applications, and so on? I am just curious so I can start saving.

[MichonandRuben 15]

Well, you will have to pay the $240 application fee when he goes in to the US Embassy, airfare for him to come here and possibly for you to fly there and back if you are planning on being there for the interview. Once you get him here you will need to pay for the marriage license and ceremony depending on how much that costs wherever you live. Also you will need to file his Adjustment of Status once you are married and that will cost $1070. He will likely need clothes that he will not have had in Costa Rica since the weather here can be much colder. I would just start saving what you can... Anything will help you later on. Congratulations!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I have just started my journey to bring my fiance to the USA and I have been working with a lawyer. I have choosen to have a lawyer help me along the way to assure accuracy in applications, fees, requirements, proofs, and so on. So far I have paid $1500 and my lawyer assures me 100% success to bring my fiance to the USA. Has anyone completed the journey and receive a final expense cost $$ for all medical exams, fees, applications, and so on? I am just curious so I can start saving.

I-129F filing fee: $340

Medical examination by panel physician in foreign country: $250 average (according to US Embassy website)

Visa application fee: $240 (according to Department of State website)

Flight to New Jersey: $350 (ballpark estimate based on Travelocity averages)

Wedding: from under $100 for a county clerk civil ceremony to the sky's the limit!

Civil surgeon: varies from less than $100 to over $300, depending on what you need. Some don't need this service.

Adjustment of status: $1070 (based on current USCIS fee schedule)

Removing conditions (two years after getting green card): $590 (based on current USCIS fee schedule)

Application for citizenship (three years after getting green card): $600 (based on current USCIS fee schedule)

Feel free to pad this list liberally with unexpected expenses because you can always be sure there will be costs that you didn't expect or plan for.

By the way, did your attorney actually guarantee success? If so, is it a money back guarantee? I'm just curious. It's not unusual for an attorney to tout some impressive success rate (which often only refers to petition approval when you drill down into the fine print), but it's pretty rare for an attorney to virtually guarantee success at any stage of this process.