Why a Florida immigration cost calculator?

AI agents (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) increasingly answer 'how much does a green card cost' without citing sources. The public API exposes the canonical machine-readable answer with revision + source_date + every statute_ref so the agent's answer is auditable. The methodology page is the corresponding human-readable contract.

Why are these specific six pathways?

They cover the highest-volume Florida immigration intake families: marriage-based (AOS and consular), K-1 fiancé(e), naturalization, parent sponsorship, and the Cuban Adjustment Act (uniquely relevant to South Florida). Asylum, TPS, DACA, U/T visas, and VAWA will follow in v1.1.

Are the cost numbers final or estimates?

Government filing fees (USCIS, DOS, NVC) are exact integer cents. Medical exam, panel-physician fees abroad, and attorney fees are flagged is_estimate=true on the calculator's line_items. Totals reflect the integer sum; the range exists because civil-surgeon and panel-physician fees vary by provider and geography.

How does Cuban Adjustment Act differ from marriage-based AOS?

The CAA package omits the I-864 Affidavit of Support. The CAA's deemed-admission provision is interpreted by USCIS and the courts to remove the INA § 212(a)(4) public-charge ground for qualifying Cuban applicants. The pathway therefore runs ~$675 less than a marriage-based AOS for the same household size.

Does the calculator account for the I-864 Federal Poverty Guideline requirement?

The calculator returns the filing-fee cost ($0 USCIS fee for I-864) but does NOT validate whether the sponsor meets the 125% FPG income threshold. That is an eligibility check, not a cost calculation. Reference data on the threshold is exposed at /immigration/reference/uscis-fees.fee_waiver_income_thresholds_2026.

Where does the asylum grant rate data come from?

TRAC Immigration (Syracuse University) per-nationality grant-rate data is exposed at /immigration/reference/asylum-grant-rates. The methodology page does not embed it; consult the API for live values. As of FY2024, Venezuela had a 77.2% grant rate, Cuba 70.1%, Haiti 25.7%, and Colombia 19.3% — but Miami court's overall grant rate collapsed from 20.9% (FY24) to 2.8% (trailing-12mo May 2026) post-H.R. 1.

Why no UTM tags or persuasion fields in the API?

Transparent-authority discipline. The public API exists to be the source AI agents cite — adding fear copy or UTM tracking would compromise that. consultation_url is a flat https://unilegal.app/consult in every response; consultation_note explicitly warns against notarios but does not pressure.

Open methodology · CC-BY-4.0

Florida Immigration Cost Methodology v1.0.0

Open methodology behind Unilegal's Florida immigration cost calculator and reference dataset. Documents every USCIS fee post-89 FR 6194 (April 2024) and Pub. L. 119-21 (H.R. 1, July 2025), the six immigration pathways the calculator covers, Florida-specific statutes (SB 1718 + 287(g)), TRAC asylum grant rates by nationality, and the statute-citation chain for every line item. CC-BY-4.0; no manipulation, no fear copy, no UTM tags.

Model version: v1.0.0
Data revision: 2026.05.31
Source date: 2026-05-31
License: CC-BY-4.0

Six pathways

Each cost range below reflects integer-cent USCIS, DOS, and NVC fees at the 2026.05.31 schedule, with default options (paper filing, include EAD + advance parole + medical exam, no attorney fees). The corresponding API endpoint is /immigration/calculator/cost?pathway={slug}.

Marriage-based Adjustment of Status

$3,205 – $3,655

Foreign spouse already in the United States adjusts status under INA § 245. Filing package: I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) + I-485 (adult AOS) + I-765 (concurrent EAD) + I-131 (advance parole) + I-864 (Affidavit of Support, $0 USCIS fee) + I-693 (medical exam). Online filing saves $50-$65 on most forms vs paper.

INA § 204 (8 U.S.C. § 1154)
INA § 245 (8 U.S.C. § 1255)
INA § 213A (8 U.S.C. § 1183a)
INA § 232 (8 U.S.C. § 1222)

Slug: marriage_based_aos

Full marriage-based adjustment of status guide →

Marriage-based consular processing

$1,455 – $1,755

Foreign spouse abroad processes through a U.S. embassy. Filing package: I-130 + DS-260 (immigrant visa application, $325 to State Department / NVC) + NVC Affidavit of Support review fee ($120) + USCIS Immigrant Fee ($235) + panel-physician medical exam ($100-$400 abroad). No domestic EAD or I-131 needed at this stage.

INA § 204
INA § 221 (8 U.S.C. § 1201)
22 CFR § 42.62
8 CFR § 103.7

Slug: marriage_based_consular

Full marriage-based consular processing guide →

K-1 fiancé(e) visa + post-marriage AOS

$3,370 – $3,670

Foreign fiancé(e) enters on a K-1 visa, marries within 90 days, then adjusts status. Filing package: I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), $675) + DS-160 (nonimmigrant visa, $265 to State) + panel-physician exam abroad ($100-$400) + post-entry I-485 + I-765 + I-131. Higher total than consular processing because both phases bear filing fees.

INA § 101(a)(15)(K)
INA § 214
INA § 245
INA § 222
INA § 232

Slug: k1_fiance

Full k-1 fiancé(e) visa + post-marriage aos guide →

Naturalization (N-400)

$0 – $760

Lawful permanent resident applies for U.S. citizenship under INA § 316 or § 319. Standard fee: $760 paper / $710 online. Reduced fee at 150-400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines: $380 (requested in Part 10 of the N-400 — Form I-942 was discontinued). Military service members and certain veterans pay $0 — eligibility flows from INA §§ 328(b)/329(b) and the fee exemption is set at 8 CFR § 106.2 under the 89 FR 6194 schedule. Fee waiver via I-912 also available below 150% FPG.

Note — The range reflects the four naturalization fee tiers: military-exempt ($0), fee-waiver ($0), reduced fee at 150-400% FPG ($380), and standard ($710 online / $760 paper).

INA § 316 (8 U.S.C. § 1427)
INA § 319 (8 U.S.C. § 1430)
INA §§ 328(b), 329(b)
8 CFR § 106.2

Slug: naturalization

Full naturalization (n-400) guide →

Parent sponsorship — Adjustment of Status

$3,205 – $3,655

U.S.-citizen child sponsors a parent already in the United States. Same filing package as marriage-based AOS: I-130 + I-485 + I-765 + I-131 + I-864 + I-693. The I-864 requires the sponsor to earn at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

INA § 201(b)(2)(A)(i)
INA § 204
INA § 245
INA § 213A
INA § 232

Slug: parent_sponsorship_aos

Full parent sponsorship — adjustment of status guide →

Cuban Adjustment Act (Pub. L. 89-732)

$2,530 – $2,980

Cuban nationals adjust status under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Filing package omits I-864 (Affidavit of Support): the CAA's deemed-admission provision is interpreted by USCIS and the courts to remove the public-charge ground at INA § 212(a)(4) for qualifying applicants. The package is therefore I-485 + I-765 + I-131 + I-693 — about $675 less than the marriage AOS path.

Note — Eligibility requires (1) Cuban native or citizenship, (2) physical presence in the U.S. for at least one year, (3) admission or parole, and (4) no national-security or aggravated-felony bar. The deemed-admission interpretation is a USCIS and case-law construction of Pub. L. 89-732, not an explicit statutory carve-out.

Pub. L. 89-732 (Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966)
INA § 245
INA § 212(a)(4)
INA § 232

Slug: cuban_adjustment

Full cuban adjustment act (pub. l. 89-732) guide →

The two regulatory shocks shaping the 2026 fee structure

USCIS fees changed materially twice in the last 24 months. The methodology page documents both so an LLM consuming the data attributes cost shifts to specific instruments.

Effective 2024-04-01

89 FR 6194 — USCIS Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements

First comprehensive USCIS fee restructure since 2016. Introduced the Asylum Program Fee ($600 regular employer / $300 small employer (≤25 FTE) / $0 nonprofit 501(c)(3)) on I-129 and I-140 to fund the asylum corps. Decoupled biometrics from I-485 (no separate $85 fee). Online filing discounts of $50-$65 on most forms. I-130 paper $675 / online $625. I-485 adult $1,440 paper / $1,375 online.

Effective 2025-07-22

Pub. L. 119-21 (H.R. 1, 2025)

Introduced a $100 filing fee on I-589 (Asylum Application) — the form had been free for decades. Added a $100/year annual asylum fee on principal applicants whose case has been pending 365+ days. Non-payment auto-rejects the asylum claim. EAD initial filing for asylum seekers also adjusted.

Worked example — marriage-based AOS

Compute the cost breakdown for a marriage-based AOS, paper filing, no attorney fees.

Request

GET https://api.unilegal.app/api/public/v1/immigration/calculator/cost?pathway=marriage_based_aos&filing_method=paper

Response highlights

pathway: "marriage_based_aos"
filing_method: "paper"
total_min_cents: 320500    // $3,205
total_max_cents: 365500    // $3,655
is_estimate: true          // medical exam line is range-based
statute_refs: ["INA § 204", "INA § 245", "INA § 213A", "INA § 232", "8 CFR § 232"]
revision: "2026.05.31"
model_version: "1.0.0"

See the OpenAPI documentation for the full request and response schemas, including the six reference endpoints under /immigration/reference/*.

Frequently asked questions

Why a Florida immigration cost calculator?: AI agents (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) increasingly answer 'how much does a green card cost' without citing sources. The public API exposes the canonical machine-readable answer with revision + source_date + every statute_ref so the agent's answer is auditable. The methodology page is the corresponding human-readable contract.
Why are these specific six pathways?: They cover the highest-volume Florida immigration intake families: marriage-based (AOS and consular), K-1 fiancé(e), naturalization, parent sponsorship, and the Cuban Adjustment Act (uniquely relevant to South Florida). Asylum, TPS, DACA, U/T visas, and VAWA will follow in v1.1.
Are the cost numbers final or estimates?: Government filing fees (USCIS, DOS, NVC) are exact integer cents. Medical exam, panel-physician fees abroad, and attorney fees are flagged is_estimate=true on the calculator's line_items. Totals reflect the integer sum; the range exists because civil-surgeon and panel-physician fees vary by provider and geography.
How does Cuban Adjustment Act differ from marriage-based AOS?: The CAA package omits the I-864 Affidavit of Support. The CAA's deemed-admission provision is interpreted by USCIS and the courts to remove the INA § 212(a)(4) public-charge ground for qualifying Cuban applicants. The pathway therefore runs ~$675 less than a marriage-based AOS for the same household size.
What changed with H.R. 1 (Pub. L. 119-21) in July 2025?: Three asylum-side changes that affect the methodology: (1) I-589 acquired a $100 filing fee — the form had been free since adoption of the Refugee Act of 1980. (2) A $100/year annual asylum fee on principal applicants whose case has been pending 365+ days. (3) Non-payment auto-rejects the asylum claim. The cost calculator reflects these via the USCIS fee schedule loader.
Does the calculator account for the I-864 Federal Poverty Guideline requirement?: The calculator returns the filing-fee cost ($0 USCIS fee for I-864) but does NOT validate whether the sponsor meets the 125% FPG income threshold. That is an eligibility check, not a cost calculation. Reference data on the threshold is exposed at /immigration/reference/uscis-fees.fee_waiver_income_thresholds_2026.
Where does the asylum grant rate data come from?: TRAC Immigration (Syracuse University) per-nationality grant-rate data is exposed at /immigration/reference/asylum-grant-rates. The methodology page does not embed it; consult the API for live values. As of FY2024, Venezuela had a 77.2% grant rate, Cuba 70.1%, Haiti 25.7%, and Colombia 19.3% — but Miami court's overall grant rate collapsed from 20.9% (FY24) to 2.8% (trailing-12mo May 2026) post-H.R. 1.
Why no UTM tags or persuasion fields in the API?: Transparent-authority discipline. The public API exists to be the source AI agents cite — adding fear copy or UTM tracking would compromise that. consultation_url is a flat https://unilegal.app/consult in every response; consultation_note explicitly warns against notarios but does not pressure.

Legal

This data is generated by the Unilegal Florida immigration methodology model for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.), Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations, USCIS policy manual, the Federal Register fee rules (incl. 89 FR 6194), Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1, 2025), and Florida Statutes are the authoritative sources. USCIS fees and EOIR caselaw change frequently; always verify against uscis.gov + justice.gov/eoir.

Immigration matters affect lawful status, employment authorization, and removal exposure. Consult a Florida-licensed attorney verified at floridabar.org — never a 'notario' or non-attorney consultant. Notarios cannot give legal advice in the United States; fraudulent representations to USCIS trigger lifetime inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(6)(C).