The economic burden of U.S. immigration varies significantly across the country due to local wage differences, even though federal filing fees remain constant. According to the 2026 U.S. Immigration Affordability Index released by CitizenPath, the actual cost of common immigration journeys is heavily influenced by a household’s geographic location.
In Mississippi, a minimum-wage worker must work approximately 111 hours, or nearly three weeks, to afford U.S. citizenship. In contrast, a worker in Washington, D.C., needs to work about 45 hours for the same process. For a typical Mississippi household, a marriage-based green card represents roughly 76% of one month’s income, while that same requirement is 41% in Washington, D.C.
The study found that do-it-yourself costs for common immigration paths range from $494 for a green card renewal to $3,883 for a K-1 fiancé visa. A marriage-based green card via a do-it-yourself approach costs approximately $3,744, with roughly $700 of that total covering expenses beyond the government fee. For couples living at 150% of the federal poverty line, the cost of a marriage green card can equal 138% of a month’s income.
Hiring an immigration attorney can roughly double these expenses. For straightforward cases, costs reach about $8,344 for a marriage green card and $9,183 for a K-1 visa. The least affordable states identified in the report include Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Alabama, all of which maintain the $7.25 federal minimum wage. The most affordable regions include Washington, D.C., Washington, California, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Financial pressures on immigrant families are expected to rise following a June 2026 proposal by the Department of Homeland Security. The proposal suggests increasing the naturalization fee by up to 75%, which would raise the cost for paper filers from $760 to $1,330. The proposal also includes the elimination of fee waivers, a move that could disproportionately affect low-income families.
CitizenPath leadership noted that these costs fall heavily on lower-income families, and even households earning $100,000 annually may spend about 45% of a month’s income on a marriage-based green card before legal fees are included. Additionally, company officials stated that high costs often lead families to delay or abandon legal immigration processes despite qualifying for them.
