The cost of applying for a U.S. green card or citizenship extends far beyond government filing fees, and the financial burden varies dramatically depending on where applicants live, according to the 2026 U.S. Immigration Affordability Index released today by CitizenPath. The study calculates the full, realistic cost of six common immigration processes and translates these costs into hours of work and share of household income.
Because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) charges the same fees nationwide, affordability hinges on local wages. In Mississippi, the least affordable state, a minimum-wage worker must work approximately 111 hours—nearly three weeks—to afford U.S. citizenship, compared with about 45 hours in Washington, D.C. A marriage-based green card, the most common family immigration path, consumes about 76% of one month's income for a typical Mississippi household, versus 41% in Washington, D.C. The fee is identical; the burden is not.
Key findings from the index include: the typical do-it-yourself cost ranges from about $494 for a green card renewal to about $3,883 for a K-1 fiancé visa. A marriage-based green card costs about $3,744, of which roughly $700 is expenses beyond the government fee. For a couple living at 150% of the federal poverty line, a do-it-yourself marriage green card equals about 138% of a month's income—more than a full month's pay. Hiring an immigration attorney roughly doubles the cost, reaching about $8,344 for a marriage green card and $9,183 for a K-1 in straightforward cases.
The least affordable states are Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Alabama—among the 20 states still at the $7.25 federal minimum wage. The most affordable are Washington, D.C., Washington, California, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The burden is set to grow. In June 2026, the Department of Homeland Security proposed raising the naturalization fee by up to 75%—from $760 to $1,330 for paper filers—and eliminating fee waivers, which would hit hardest the lower-income families the index shows already paying the largest share of their income.
“The Index shows how heavily these costs fall on lower-income families,” said Russ Leimer, CitizenPath co-founder and CEO. “But even a couple earning $100,000 a year pays about 45% of a month's income for a marriage green card—and that's before hiring an attorney.”
“I regularly see families delay or give up on applications they qualify for, purely because of cost,” said Cesar Luna, CitizenPath co-founder and immigration attorney. “Cost, not eligibility, is what stops many of these families from immigrating the legal way—the way the government tells them to.”
The full report, state-by-state data appendix, downloadable CSV, and interactive dashboard are available at citizenpath.com/immigration-affordability-index/ and are free to republish with attribution. Cite as: CitizenPath U.S. Immigration Affordability Index, 2026 Edition.
