A visa application fee is not the price of moving to America. A family joining a relative, a student paying tuition and a worker whose employer covers relocation can face completely different bills.
The useful question is: how much cash will your household need before reliable income begins? Build that number in four parts: immigration charges, preparation and travel, arrival costs, and a reserve for delays.
Start with the correct government fees
The State Department’s visa fee schedule lists a $185 application fee for many non-petition-based temporary visas, including B and F visas; $205 for petition-based categories such as H, L and O; and $315 for E visas. These are application-processing charges, not complete immigration packages. Nationality-based issuance fees and other applicable charges can be additional.
For Immigrant visaA visa issued at a consulate to a person intending to live permanently in the United States. On admission the holder becomes a permanent resident.See it in the glossary processing abroad, the schedule lists $325 per person for family-based applications and $345 for employment-based applications. An affidavit-of-support review can carry a separate $120 charge. Petition fees, medical examinations and other required expenses sit outside those figures. Do not use a consular fee as an estimate for an adjustment-of-status case filed inside the United States.
Students need a separate education budget
School admission does not make education affordable by itself. Ask for the school’s full cost of attendance, funding letter, insurance charges and payment deadlines. Subtract only funding actually awarded, with its conditions understood.
The State Department’s student-visa instructions require an I-20 and describe the separate SEVISThe Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, the DHS database that tracks F, M and J students and exchange visitors and the schools that host them. Designated school officials update each record, issue the Form I-20 or DS-2019, and authorize or recommend work options such as CPT and OPT.See it in the glossary fee. ICE’s published SEVIS fee guidance sets the F/M student charge at $350. A $185 visa application plus $350 SEVIS fee totals $535, but that narrow subtotal excludes tuition, living expenses, travel and any other applicable charges. It is not a complete 2026 student budget.
Price the move using actual quotes
- Before departure: passports, translations, document delivery, medical examinations when required, and travel to the interview.
- Travel: flights, baggage, transfers and a contingency for rescheduling.
- Arrival: temporary accommodation, rent deposit, utilities, basic furniture, phone service and local transportation.
- Monthly living: housing, food, insurance, childcare, transportation and existing obligations abroad.
These are planning categories, not claims about national average prices. Get quotes for the city and household you actually have. A furnished room near public transit and a family apartment requiring two cars are different budgets.
A transparent example
Suppose your own quotes add up to $2,000 for travel and $4,000 for housing setup. If you choose a three-month reserve at an assumed $2,500 per month, the relocation-and-reserve subtotal is $13,500. Add the government charges and professional costs that apply to your case. Every number in this example is hypothetical; it is neither a minimum requirement nor a U.S. average.
A reserve is useful only if you can actually access it. Consider currency conversion, transfer timing and deposits due before employment starts. Ask an employer which expenses it pays directly and which it reimburses later.
Do not spend as though approval is guaranteed
The State Department warns immigrant-visa applicants against selling property, resigning or making permanent financial commitments before receiving the visa. For your budget, distinguish a refundable reservation from money you cannot recover.
Before paying, recheck the current official fee for each form, nationality-specific instructions and any category-specific additional charge. The best budget is a dated worksheet with a payer and due date beside every line, not one headline number copied from someone else’s move.