EB-2 NIW Cost: What You'll Actually Pay to File (2026)

One of the first questions anyone researching the NIW asks is: how much does this actually cost? The answer depends heavily on whether you use an attorney, whether you use premium processing, and how much supporting documentation you need to gather. Here is a complete breakdown.

Government Filing Fees (Fixed Costs)

These fees go directly to USCIS and are mandatory regardless of how you file.

I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker:

• Online filing: $665
• Paper filing: $715

Asylum Program Fee (added to I-140):

• Individual self-petitioners (NIW): $300
• Non-profit organizations: $0 (exempt)

Premium Processing (Form I-907):

• $2,965 (as of March 2026)
• Guarantees action within 45 business days for NIW petitions
• Optional but strongly recommended — standard NIW processing takes 12 to 18 months

Total government fees for I-140 (with premium processing):

• $665 + $300 + $2,965 = approximately $3,930 for a self-petitioner filing online

I-485 Adjustment of Status (when priority date becomes current):

• $1,440 per applicant
• Includes concurrent I-765 (EAD) and I-131 (Advance Parole) for initial filers

If you are filing I-485 now (Rest of World, where EB-2 is currently current), add $1,440. If you are Indian or Chinese and waiting for your priority date, the I-485 cost comes years later.

Credential Evaluation Costs

If you have a foreign degree, you need a credential evaluation from a NACES or AICE member agency to establish that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. advanced degree.

Typical costs by agency and evaluation type:

• WES (World Education Services), document-by-document: $220 to $270
• WES course-by-course: $320 to $375
• ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators): $190 to $250
• SpanTran: $155 to $200

Rush processing typically adds $100 to $150 per order. Most agencies offer standard processing in 7 to 10 business days.

Budget: $150 to $375 for a standard evaluation

Document Translation Costs

If your degree certificates, transcripts, or other supporting documents are not in English, certified translations are required.

USCIS requires that each non-English document be accompanied by a certified English translation. Translation services charge by the word or by the page.

Typical translation costs: $50 to $150 per document; complex academic transcripts may cost $200 to $400 per document depending on length and language pair.

Attorney Fees (Variable)

This is the biggest variable in the NIW cost equation.

Full-service NIW representation (attorney handles everything):

• WeGreened, Chen Immigration, and similar specialized NIW firms: approximately $5,000 to $6,000 for the complete NIW I-140 package, often including one RFE response
• Boutique immigration firms: $4,000 to $10,000+ for complex cases
• Some firms offer "Approval or Refund" guarantees if you meet their screening criteria

Narrative framework only (you handle the rest):

• Boutique document services like International Evaluations offer petition narrative frameworks for $1,499 and up
• These provide the organizational structure and evidence-to-prong mapping but not legal representation

DIY filing:

• Government fees only ($3,930 with premium processing)
• No attorney fees
• Higher risk if the petition is not well-organized or the evidence is weak

Hybrid approach (attorney consults, you draft):

• Some attorneys offer unbundled services — reviewing your draft petition for a flat fee ($500 to $1,500) or consulting on specific questions
• Lower cost than full representation; higher quality check than pure DIY

Total NIW Cost Estimates

These are I-140 phase costs only. If you also file I-485 now, add $1,440 per applicant, plus medical examination fees ($300–$600 for a civil surgeon).

How to Think About the Cost

The NIW filing cost, in the context of what it achieves, is relatively small. An approved EB-2 NIW I-140 locks in a priority date worth potentially years of your green card queue. It enables H-1B extensions beyond six years. For Rest of World applicants, it is the fastest path to permanent residency in the U.S. employment-based system.

The largest single decision point is whether to use an attorney. Given that NIW approval rates have dropped to a FY2025 average of 55.2%, a well-prepared petition genuinely matters. A poorly organized petition with weak Dhanasar arguments is likely to get an RFE or denial — which means additional time and additional costs responding. An attorney who specializes in NIW cases knows what adjudicators look for and can frame your evidence effectively.

The middle ground — using a comprehensive guide to understand exactly what to prepare, then either filing yourself or with a lighter attorney touch — is where many applicants find the right balance between cost and quality.

The US EB-2 Employment-Based Green Card Guide covers the complete NIW self-petition process — including a full evidence checklist, cover letter framework, and how to map your specific credentials to the Dhanasar prongs in a way that holds up to current adjudication standards.