What are the main costs I should plan for when building an EB-2 NIW petition?

Before the list, one important clarification: with the EB-2 NIW, these are expenses you need to budget for to prepare your case, not items that enter the petition as evidence of merit. What the authority evaluates is the relevance of your work, not how much you spent on the process.

With that said, knowing the typical costs helps you stay organized and avoid surprises. The main ones include:

• USCIS filing fees for the petition and processing, which are set by the government and should be confirmed on the official website.
• Translation and credential evaluation, when documents are in another language or degrees were obtained outside the United States.
• Supporting documentation, such as official copies, certificates, and reports that strengthen your case.
• Professional assistance, if you choose to work with a specialist to build and review your materials.

Since every case has a different level of complexity, costs vary. Always check the official USCIS sources for current fees, and be cautious of services that promise guaranteed results.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.