EB-3 Cost

EB-3 cost is usually spread across the petition stage and the final permanent-residence stage.

That means the practical question is not just what one filing costs. It is how the case budget builds from petition to green-card stage over time.

The current EB-3 visa entry includes these main fee figures:

Every EB-3 case requires a PERM labor certification before the I-140 petition can be filed. Unlike EB-2 NIW, there is no self-petition path that bypasses PERM in the EB-3 category. The PERM process has no government filing fee, but the employer typically spends $5,000 to $15,000 or more on required recruitment advertising, prevailing wage determination through the Department of Labor, and legal support. These are employer-side costs that cannot legally be charged to the worker.

After petition approval, the permanent-residence stage adds further costs. Applicants who adjust status in the U.S. file the I-485 ($1,440). Those who go through consular processing abroad pay a DS-260 immigrant visa application fee of $325. Both paths require a medical examination, which typically costs $200 to $500 depending on the provider. After the green card is issued, USCIS charges a $220 USCIS Immigrant Fee to produce and mail the card.

That is why a single-number answer to EB-3 cost is usually not very useful. The practical budget usually changes once the case moves from the petition stage to the later permanent-residence stage.

A useful EB-3 budget often separates:

• PERM labor certification costs (recruitment, prevailing wage, legal support — always required for EB-3)
• the I-140 petition-stage filing costs and optional premium processing
• the final green-card-stage filing costs (I-485 or DS-260, medical exam, USCIS Immigrant Fee)
• professional support or evidence-prep costs outside the government fee schedule

This split helps because not every cost arrives at the same moment. The PERM stage alone can take six to twelve months, and its costs are incurred well before any USCIS filing fees are due. It also keeps the applicant from confusing petition-stage cost with the full cost of the immigration path.

The biggest EB-3 budget drivers beyond the base filing fee are:

• the PERM labor certification process, which involves mandatory recruitment steps, prevailing wage filings, and often legal fees that together represent the largest pre-petition cost in most EB-3 cases
• premium processing where faster movement is strategically important
• the final permanent-residence stage costs, including the medical exam, adjustment or consular processing fees, and the USCIS Immigrant Fee
• case-preparation expenses tied to the specific EB-3 category path (skilled worker, professional, or other worker)
• delays or complexity that make professional support more important, especially if a PERM audit occurs

This is why the same broad EB-3 category can feel much more expensive in one case than in another. An EB-3 skilled worker case with a smooth PERM and domestic adjustment may cost significantly less overall than a case that faces a PERM audit and requires consular processing.

The most common EB-3 budgeting mistakes are:

• quoting only the I-140 filing fee
• forgetting the later permanent-residence stage costs
• treating premium processing like a default cost
• assuming all EB-3 cases budget the same way regardless of category path

The cleaner approach is to budget the case by phase instead of by one number.