What is the $165 Fee I Have to Pay in Order to Get My Green Card After My Consulate Interview?
Effective February 1, 2013, the US immigration service established a new fee which has to be paid by people who receive green cards through interviews US consulates. The fee is $165 per person without regard to age, and must be paid before the individual will be given a green card.
The process for paying the fee is the following:
1. At the conclusion of your interview at the US consulate you will be given your A Number, your department of state case ID which is three letters with nine or ten numbers, and a sealed visa packet. You will also be given instructions regarding what you need to do to pay the fee
2. Create an online USCIS ELIS. Go to
www.uscis.gov/USCIS-ELIS. Follow directions to create and online account and select “USCIS Immigrant Fee” and complete your personal biographic information.
3. Pay the USCIS immigrant fee of $165. You can pay the fee for all family members in one transaction. If you pay for family members, you must have their A-Numbers, DOS case ID numbers, and correct biographic information. You may pay with a valid credit or debit card, or a US bank checking account with the appropriate bank routing numbers.
4. Travel to the US
5. After you are admitted to the United States, USCIS will verify payment of the USCIS immigrant fee and mail your permanent resident card (green card) to the address you provided to the department of state at the time of your immigrant visa interview.
Many people believe that they will not be allowed to enter the US until they have paid this fee, and in fact we have heard that some officers at the consulate tell them that they cannot travel to the US until this fee is paid. This is not correct.
Once you have been approved at the consulate, a stamp will be placed in your passport and you have six months in which to enter the US and officially claim your status as a lawful permanent resident of the United States.
The USCIS immigrant fee is not required to be paid prior to traveling to the US; however you will not be given an actual physical plastic green card until the fee has been paid.
The stamp in your passport which indicates that you are a permanent resident is only valid for a period of one year and cannot be extended. If you have not paid the immigrant visa fee by the end of the one year, the stamp will expire and you will no longer have any proof that you are lawfully residing in the United States.
USCIS strongly recommends that you pay the immigrant fee after you receive your immigrant package from the department of state and before you depart for the United States.
The USCIS immigrant fee allows USCIS to recover the cost for processing and maintaining the immigrant visa package, and the cost of delivering and producing the permanent resident card.
Attorneys, accredited representatives, employers are not authorized to create a USCIS ELIS account on your behalf to pay the USCIS immigrant fee. Only you are the immigrant, may open a USCIS ELIS account and pay the required fee.
Please keep a copy of your receipt for your records. If you fail to pay your fee after entering the US, USCIS will send a request for evidence to your address.