The true cost of U.S. immigration extends far beyond government filing fees, and a new study reveals that the financial burden falls disproportionately on families depending on where they live. CitizenPath, an online immigration service, today released its 2026 U.S. Immigration Affordability Index, which measures the full, realistic cost of six common immigration journeys across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, translating each into hours of work and a share of household income.
Because USCIS charges the same fees nationwide, affordability is determined by local wages. The study found that in Mississippi, the least affordable state, a minimum-wage worker must work about 111 hours—nearly three weeks—to afford U.S. citizenship, compared with roughly 45 hours in Washington, D.C. Similarly, a marriage-based green card, the most common family immigration path, equals about 76% of one month's income for a typical Mississippi household, versus 41% in Washington, D.C.
The index highlights the wide range of costs for various immigration processes. For do-it-yourself applicants, the typical cost ranges from about $494 for a green card renewal to $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 visa in straightforward cases. The least affordable states are Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Alabama—all 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, hitting hardest the lower-income families that the index shows already pay 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 index is built on verified government fees and typical self-preparation costs, not CitizenPath's own pricing. The full report, including a state-by-state data appendix, a downloadable CSV, and an interactive dashboard, is available at citizenpath.com/immigration-affordability-index/ and is free to republish with attribution.
