Immigration Marriage Lawyer

Application Process

U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse files a I-130 petition to establish a bona fide marital relationship. Applicant files a I-485 application with supporting documents with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Electronic Filing

Electronic filing is available for I-130 petitions, but not I-485 applications.

Filing Fee Costs

The fee to file an I-130 petition is $535.

The fee to file an I-485 application is $1,140. An $85 biometric services fee is required for applicants age fourteen to seventy-eight.

USCIS filing fees are not refundable, regardless of any action U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services takes on the application.

Checks should be made payable to the “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”

Marriage Lawyer Cost

Lally Immigration charges a flat fee of $3,500 to prepare a marriage-based green card application package.

This flat fee includes the following services:

• Preparation and review of all required forms and supporting documents;
• Filing the application with the USCIS;
• Tracking the application with the USCIS;
• A 30-minute virtual mock interview with Clients up to 2 weeks before actual interview (if scheduled); and
• Representation at actual interview with USCIS in Massachusetts (or virtually, elsewhere).

We offer payment plans, whereby the attorney fee may be paid at the following intervals:

Note: The final installment payment of $875 will not be waived if clients are not required to attend a green card interview.

Fee Waiver

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will consider a fee waiver request for an I-485 application. You can review the fee waiver guidance on the USCIS Fee Waiver website.

Internal Processing Time

Generally, Lally Immigration Services, LLC can have an initial draft of a marriage-based green card application prepared within seven (7) business days after receiving all of the required information and documentation.

Note: We never begin the drafting process until written confirmation is received that all of the required information and documentation has been provided. This prevents a significant amount of back-and-forth editing/updating and reduces the opportunity for error.

USCIS Processing Time

The USCIS provides estimated case processing times on their website (here).

The estimated processing times are calculated based on how long it took the USCIS to complete 80% of cases over the past 6 months.

Although the green card application (Form I-485) may be processed in the USCIS Field Office with jurisdiction over your ZIP code, the immigrant visa petition (Form I-130), application for employment authorization (Form I-765), and application for travel authorization (Form I-131) will be processed at the USCIS’ National Benefits Center.

To check the current USCIS processing times, visit the USCIS website (above), and select the following options from the dropdown menus:

Conditional Permanent Residency

Two-year green cards are given to individuals who were married less than two years at the time they applied for green card. This is known as “conditional permanent residency.”

In order to remain a permanent resident, a conditional permanent resident must file a petition to remove the conditions of their residency during the ninety days before their two-year green card expires.

The petition is Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence.

Removal of Conditions

Timely filing to remove the conditions on permanent residency is a critical step for condition permanent residents to obtain a ten-year green card.

If a conditional resident does not timely apply to remove the conditions on their permanent residence, they could lose their conditional resident status and be removed from the country.