"How much is a visa" is really three questions wearing one coat: what the attorney charges, what the government charges, and what it costs to go faster. Most sticker shock is just those three numbers getting added together without being named.
A quote that looks high is usually a quote that includes all three buckets; a quote that looks suspiciously low is usually one that only names one of them. Keeping them apart is the whole trick:
| Bucket | Who it's paid to | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney / legal fee | The firm | Strategy, drafting, the brief, evidence framework, filing the case correctly the first time |
| USCIS filing fee | The government | The right to have the petition adjudicated at all — fixed by regulation, not negotiable |
| Premium processing (optional) | The government | A firm adjudication clock — currently 15 business days for O/P categories — bought separately from the case itself |
These are set by USCIS, change periodically, and are the same regardless of which attorney files the case:
| Filing | Base fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| O-1/P-1 petition (Form I-129), small employer (≤25 FTE) | $530 + $300 Asylum Program Fee = $830 | Agent-based and small-organization petitioners typically qualify for the reduced rate |
| O-1/P-1 petition (Form I-129), standard employer | $1,055 + $300 Asylum Program Fee | Applies above the small-employer threshold |
| EB-1A petition (Form I-140), self-petitioner | $715 (paper) / $665 (online) + $300 Asylum Program Fee ≈ $1,015 | No employer sponsor required for this category |
| Premium processing (Form I-907) | $2,965 | Optional on top of the base fee; buys the adjudication clock, not a better outcome |
| Adjustment of status bundle (I-485 + I-131 + I-765) | $1,440 + $630 (optional) + $260 (optional) | Travel (I-131) and work authorization (I-765) filings are optional add-ons to the core I-485 |
Government fees change; treat the table as a planning estimate and confirm the current schedule at uscis.gov before filing.
Petition-based categories (O-1A, O-1B, P-1A) and self-petition green card categories (EB-1A) carry different amounts of work, and the fee reflects that. A petition-based filing is typically a flat fee covering strategy, drafting, and the initial filing, with routine RFE response to that same filing included in scope — a NOID, appeal, motion, or litigation is quoted separately because it is genuinely separate work. An EB-1A self-petition adds a second phase (adjustment of status) that is priced and scoped on its own, since it is a distinct filing with its own government fees and its own timeline.
Where a paid consultation precedes the engagement, that fee is standard practice to credit toward the legal fee if the firm is retained — ask directly how a given quote applies it, since the mechanics can vary by how the fee was originally quoted.
Paying the legal fee and signing the engagement (retainer) agreement are two different actions, not one. A payment link processes the fee; the engagement agreement is the actual contract that defines scope, sets expectations, and starts the representation. Both are required — paying without a signed retainer does not by itself create the attorney-client relationship, and the firm's practice is to keep the two steps visibly separate so nothing is assumed rather than agreed.
Want a real number instead of a range? The $500 consultation prices your actual case, not a generic one. A $500 consultation with Sherrod Seward covers your specific facts — credited toward the fee if you retain the firm.
Filing fees change. The table above reflects the fee schedule current as of this page's last review — confirm current amounts before relying on them for a filing budget.
No — it buys a faster adjudication clock, not a different outcome or a stronger case. Whether it is worth it depends on your actual timeline, which the checklist and the consultation both help sort out.
Standard practice is to credit it if the firm is retained — confirm how a specific quote applies it, since presentation can vary by category and by when the quote was issued.
USCIS periodically revises its fee schedule by regulation; the Asylum Program Fee and the current premium-processing amount above reflect the most recent schedule at time of writing. Always confirm the live number before filing.
