AndyMan74

My wife got an IR-1 visa through the London Embassy and paid some money while she was there. I take it that the 'USCIS Immigrant Fee'($220) is an additional fee towards the green card its self?

Thank you in advance

rpjs

Yes, it’s often called the “green card production fee”.

LandOfLincoln

Many congratulations to you and your wife; and yes, you are quite correct. The fee you pay at the US Embassy London is for the visa processing (whether successful or not). Now that she has been approved and issued a visa, it's a good idea to pay the additional USCIS immigrant fee as soon as possible, as I believe this kick-starts the process of producing the physical green card so she won't have to wait as long to receive it once in the United States.

I am just two weeks ahead of you in the process, and paid the USCIS fee the day I collected my passport and visa packet from the courier office. By paying the fee you can also create a USCIS account, which may be useful for kicking off the naturalisation process in 3 years, if your wife intends to do so.

The instructions which come with your wife's visa packet from the embassy should contain all the details needed to pay the USCIS fee.