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how much money did it cost you to become a US citizen? (from start to finish)
- Thread starter Ned50
- Start date
Our GC costs were paid for by the employer, it included attorney fees so must have been quite a bit. We paid for the N400 and later one of us got reimbursed by the employer for the fee portion but this did not include spouse's fee. I think overall it may have been $500-600 if we consider the cost of N400 for one person plus some expenses for photos, gas, postage etc though the whole process.
We later applied for greencard for one of our siblings before the fee was hiked. I forget what we paid but perhaps that should also be considered a derivative of the USC process!
We later applied for greencard for one of our siblings before the fee was hiked. I forget what we paid but perhaps that should also be considered a derivative of the USC process!
I came to the US on a J1 visa so:
Paid $6,000.00 initial attorney fees and $2500 recruiter fee to find a location to get a waiver of the J1 requirements, this didn't work out, second attorney with job that actually worked out charged $10,000 for initial J1 waiver and H1b, and $2000 x 2 for subsequent H1b renewals, $6000 for NIW, $5000 for simultaneous EB1 application, $2500 to appeal the unfavorable decision on NIW, ended up with two approved I -140s, $2500 for out of US greencard processing, $3000 for travel medical etc to actually get a greencard, you all can do the math, in fact N-400 was the least expensive deal for me as I did not use an attorney. All this does not include the salary and benefits compromises that I had to make due to my J1 and H1b status, and the trips that I could not make and the life that I could not live, and the frustration and the agony that spans over 17 years.
My case was genuine through out, in retrospect if the INS had asked me to pay 50 to a 100 grand at any time and granted me a citizenship status I would have gone for it. Unfortunately only a very small portion of the above amounts actually went to the government.
Paid $6,000.00 initial attorney fees and $2500 recruiter fee to find a location to get a waiver of the J1 requirements, this didn't work out, second attorney with job that actually worked out charged $10,000 for initial J1 waiver and H1b, and $2000 x 2 for subsequent H1b renewals, $6000 for NIW, $5000 for simultaneous EB1 application, $2500 to appeal the unfavorable decision on NIW, ended up with two approved I -140s, $2500 for out of US greencard processing, $3000 for travel medical etc to actually get a greencard, you all can do the math, in fact N-400 was the least expensive deal for me as I did not use an attorney. All this does not include the salary and benefits compromises that I had to make due to my J1 and H1b status, and the trips that I could not make and the life that I could not live, and the frustration and the agony that spans over 17 years.
My case was genuine through out, in retrospect if the INS had asked me to pay 50 to a 100 grand at any time and granted me a citizenship status I would have gone for it. Unfortunately only a very small portion of the above amounts actually went to the government.
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