Unable to pay immigrant fee
u/Interesting-Bet4091r/immigrationJun 16, 2026
Update: the site just starting working - fast and no lagging - a few days before he entered the country. So you really do just have to keep trying 🫠
You do not owe a separate Green Card printing fee: if you entered with an immigrant visa and are not exempt, the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee covers producing the card.
“Do I need to pay a Green Card printing fee or any other fees after entering the US?”
Summary
If you already entered as a permanent resident, an unpaid fee delays the physical card but does not undo your status. Your endorsed immigrant visa and passport provide temporary proof for one year from admission.
The answer depends on whether you entered with an immigrant visa, qualify for an exemption, or must apply for a Green Card from inside the United States.
Entered with an immigrant visa$235 if unpaid
If you are not exempt and the fee has not already been paid, pay the **$235 ** online. It covers processing your immigrant visa packet and producing your initial Green Card—not a second, separate printing charge. USCIS permits payment after arrival. [2026 fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf) · [USCIS fee instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
Entered in an exempt category$0 immigrant fee
You do **not** owe this fee if you entered under the orphan or Hague adoption programs, as an Iraqi or Afghan special immigrant, or as a returning permanent resident with an SB-1 visa. USCIS also lists K nonimmigrants as exempt, but a K visa does not itself grant a Green Card. [USCIS fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf) · [USCIS K-1 guidance](https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/visas-for-fiancees-of-us-citizens)
Entered on a K-1 visalater application
You owe **no USCIS Immigrant Fee** for K-1 entry. If you marry your U.S.-citizen fiancé(e) within 90 days, you may then apply for a Green Card using Form I-485; that separate application generally has its own filing fee. The current general paper-filing amount for an applicant over 14 is $1,440. [USCIS K-1 guidance](https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/visas-for-fiancees-of-us-citizens) · [USCIS fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf)
Applied inside the United Statesdifferent process
If you obtained—or will seek—permanent residence by filing Form I-485 while in the United States rather than entering with an immigrant visa, the immigrant-visa-packet fee is not a post-entry printing bill for you. An I-485 application, if needed, has its own filing-fee rules; merely entering on a temporary visa does not make the $235 immigrant fee due. [USCIS adjustment guidance](https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/adjustment-of-status) · [USCIS immigrant-fee rules](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
Paying an immigrant-visa application fee to the State Department does not pay the separate USCIS Immigrant Fee. [USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
Read the full explanationHide the full explanation
Watch out for
You can pay after arrivalThe State Department says to pay before travel, but USCIS—the agency that collects the fee—expressly allows payment after arrival. Pay promptly: USCIS will not send your Green Card until you pay, although nonpayment does not take away your permanent resident status. [State Department](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-10-prepare-for-the-interview/step-12-after-the-interview.html) · [USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
An older guide shows $220USCIS’s 2019 payment guide uses $220 in an example. Do not use that old amount: the September 2026 USCIS fee schedule lists **$235**. [Payment guide](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee/uscis-immigrant-fee-payment-guide) · [Current fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf)
Not every Afghan national is exemptIraqi and Afghan special immigrants remain exempt, but USCIS’s separate exemption for *other* Afghan nationals ran only through September 30, 2024. [USCIS exemptions](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
Avoid fake charges and lost mailDo not pay someone who calls or emails demanding a separate printing charge; USCIS says it never asks you to pay a person that way. If you move, report your new address to USCIS within 10 days so your card reaches you. [USCIS scam warning](https://www.uscis.gov/scams-fraud-and-misconduct/avoid-scams/common-scams) · [USCIS address instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange)
Next steps
These steps let you avoid paying twice, make any payment actually due, and receive your card.
First
Identify your entry category and any earlier payment
An ordinary, nonexempt immigrant-visa entrant owes $235 if unpaid; adoption-program children, Iraqi or Afghan special immigrants, SB-1 returning residents, and K nonimmigrants do not owe this immigrant fee. A prior USCIS payment confirmation includes a receipt number beginning with IOE. [Fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf) · [Payment guide](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee/uscis-immigrant-fee-payment-guide)
Requirements
Your passport and visa category, if you entered with a visa
Any USCIS immigrant-fee payment confirmation
If you entered with a nonexempt immigrant visa and have not paid
Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee online if you owe it
Pay **$235** through https://my.uscis.gov/accounts/uscis-immigrant-fee/start/overview. Enter the two identifiers from your immigrant visa, Immigrant Data Summary Sheet, or USCIS fee handout; payment proceeds through Pay.gov. USCIS accepts payment after arrival. Save the confirmation and its IOE receipt number; if USCIS sent you a payment notice, follow the time specified in that notice. [Payment guide](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee/uscis-immigrant-fee-payment-guide) · [USCIS fee rules](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
Requirements
Your
Your
Credit or debit card, or a U.S. checking or savings account
Within 10 days of moving
Update USCIS if your address changes
Submit your change of address through a USCIS online account at https://myaccount.uscis.gov/users/sign_up; an online update eliminates the need to mail paper Form AR-11. USCIS mails the Green Card to the address it has for you. [USCIS address instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange) · [USCIS card-delivery instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee)
Requirements
Your new U.S. mailing address
After the applicable 90-day period
Request help if your card has not arrived
If you paid after arrival, count 90 days from payment; if you paid before arrival, count 90 days from entry. Then use USCIS’s online help form at https://my.uscis.gov/account/v1/needhelp. Meanwhile, your endorsed immigrant visa in your passport is temporary proof of permanent residence for one year from admission. [USCIS card-delivery instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee) · [USCIS temporary-proof guidance](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs)
Requirements
Your USCIS immigrant-fee payment confirmation, if you paid
Only for the K-1 branch
Use Form I-485 instead if you entered on a K-1 visa
K-1 entrants do not pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee. After marrying within 90 days, apply for permanent residence using Form I-485 at https://www.uscis.gov/i-485. The September 2026 schedule lists a **$1,440 general paper-filing fee** for an applicant over 14; different filing categories can have different fees. [USCIS K-1 guidance](https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/visas-for-fiancees-of-us-citizens) · [Fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf)
Requirements
A K-1 entry and marriage to the petitioning fiancé(e) within 90 days
Others who faced this
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
How long does it take to go from status “Immigrant Fee Received” to “Card Being Produced”?
u/BirthdayLeather3194r/NationalVisaCenterMar 12, 2026
Took me 90 days
Unable to pay green card fee
u/Wonderful-Spirit3383r/NationalVisaCenterOct 22, 2025
Hi there! Yeah this happened with me as well. I’d suggest creating a USCIS account and then paying through that. That way, the website won’t refresh. Hope this helps!
Legal sources
This answer uses USCIS’s September 2026 fee schedule and immigrant-fee instructions, plus the State Department’s immigrant-visa guidance.
Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
The current USCIS schedule sets the immigrant fee at $235.
Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
USCIS Immigrant Fee
$235
USCIS Immigrant Fee
The immigrant fee already covers producing the Green Card.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
Who Pays the Fee
We use this fee to process your immigrant visa packet and produce your Permanent Resident Card (commonly known as a Green Card).
USCIS Immigrant Fee
USCIS accepts payment after entry but holds the physical card until payment.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
Who Pays the Fee
You may also pay the fee after you arrive in the United States. If you choose this option, we will send you a notice requesting payment with instructions on paying your fee. You will not receive your Green Card until you have paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
Missing the fee delays the card, not permanent resident status; temporary proof is time-limited.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
Failure to Pay
If you do not pay the fee, it will not affect your status as a lawful permanent resident. However, you will only have evidence of your lawful permanent status for 1 year from the date of your admission, as shown by the temporary I-551 stamp CBP placed in your passport when you entered the United States.
Department of State, After the Interview
The State Department identifies immigrant-fee exemptions, including adoption cases and returning residents.
Department of State, After the Interview
After the Interview
Only children who enter the United States under the Orphan or Hague adoption programs, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants, returning residents (SB-1s), and those issued K visas are exempt from this fee.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
The broader exemption for other Afghan nationals has expired.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
Exemptions
Other Afghan nationals (through Sept. 30, 2024);
Department of State, After the Interview
The State Department recommends payment before travel, whereas USCIS explicitly permits payment after arrival.
Department of State, After the Interview
After the Interview
You must pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) after you receive your immigrant visa and before you travel to the United States.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
A State Department visa-application payment does not cover USCIS’s immigrant fee.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
About the Fee
This fee is not related to the immigrant visa application fees collected by DOS.
USCIS Immigrant Fee Payment Guide
These are the two identifying numbers needed for online immigrant-fee payment.
USCIS Immigrant Fee Payment Guide
Step 2
In the space provided, enter your Alien Registration Number (A-Number) and Department of State (DOS) Case ID.
USCIS Immigrant Fee Payment Guide
USCIS lists the accepted online payment methods.
USCIS Immigrant Fee Payment Guide
Step 6
You can pay the fee with a valid credit card, debit card, or electronic checking or savings (ACH) payment from a U.S. bank account.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
USCIS specifies when to request help for a missing card.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
Receive Green Card
If you do not receive your Green Card within 90 days of paying the USCIS Immigrant Fee or entering the United States (if you paid the fee before you arrived) please submit our online help form to request assistance.
USCIS, Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens
A K-1 entrant has a later Green Card application rather than a USCIS immigrant-fee obligation.
USCIS, Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens
The K-1 Visa and Adjustment of Status
If you marry within 90 days, your fiancé(e)—now your spouse—may apply for a Green Card by filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
USCIS, Adjustment of Status
Adjustment of status is the separate process for seeking residence from inside the country.
USCIS, Adjustment of Status
Adjustment of status is the process that you can use to apply for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status (also known as applying for a Green Card) when you are present in the United States.
Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
The current general I-485 filing fee differs from the immigrant fee.
Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
I-485, general filing for applicant over age 14
Paper Filing: $1,440 Online Filing: $1,390
USCIS, Common Scams
A personal payment demand is not USCIS’s way of collecting a fee.
USCIS, Common Scams
Payment Scams
In addition, we will never ask you to pay fees to a person on the phone or by email.
USCIS, How to Change Your Address
USCIS requires prompt address reporting after a move.
USCIS, How to Change Your Address
How to Change Your Address
Additionally, all aliens in the United States must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving.
USCIS Immigrant Fee Payment Guide
This old example explains why a reader might see an outdated fee amount.
USCIS Immigrant Fee Payment Guide
Step 6
For example, if you are paying the USCIS Immigrant Fee for four immigrants ($220 X 4 = $880), your card must have at least $880 available when you pay.
These are the official rules on the cited publication or update dates; fees and procedures can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
Related answers
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