Athlete Visa Cost — What a Sports Petition Costs, in Full
Written for athletes, coaches and the clubs, agents and managers pricing a US petition before they commit to it.
$500, one time.
One hour with the attorney. Credited 100% toward your legal fee if you engage this office within 90 days. Government filing fees payable to USCIS are separate.
A sports petition has three separate cost lines and they are almost always quoted as though they were one. Below is what this office charges, what the government charges, and the third line nobody mentions until it arrives.
Prefer to speak to someone first? +1 (310) 879-1273
Book the consultation
Six fields. About a minute.
The three cost lines, separately
One — the legal fee. This office quotes a petition at a flat fee, in writing, before anything is signed. Flat means the number does not move because the case took longer than expected. What the number is depends on the category and on the state of your evidence, and this page will not print a figure it cannot stand behind for your particular case — you get yours at the consultation.
Two — government filing fees. These are set by USCIS, they are paid to USCIS, and they are never included in a legal fee. They change when the agency changes them, so no figure is printed here that would go stale on you. You are quoted the current amounts at the time of filing. Premium processing, if you use it, is a further government fee on top of those.
Three — the costs people forget. Certified translations of foreign documents, obtaining records from federations, leagues or governing bodies, and, if you are applying from outside the United States, the visa application fee and the trip to the consulate. None of these is a legal fee and none is optional if your record needs them.
- The $500 consultation is credited 100% toward the legal fee if you engage this office within 90 days, so for anyone who goes ahead it is not an additional cost.
- A quote given before anyone has looked at your evidence is a guess. That is the honest reason this page does not print one.
- If the call shows there is no route yet, you are told that on the call, before any filing fee is spent.
Sherrod Seward, Esq. — what this consultation is, in 45 seconds
Who books this call
Athletes and competitors
You compete professionally or at national level and you need to be in the United States to train, compete or sign. Whether that is a P-1 or an O-1 is usually the first thing we settle.
Coaches, trainers and support staff
Coaches are the single largest group that contacts this office. A coaching record is evidenced differently from a competing record, and the category that fits a head coach is often not the one that fits the athlete they coach.
Agents, managers, clubs and promoters
If you are bringing someone in, the question is usually the petitioner structure. A U.S. agent petitioner can support engagements across multiple clubs, academies and events instead of tying an athlete to one employer. That structure is a large part of what this office does.
What the hour covers
- Which category your facts support: P-1A, P-1S, O-1A or O-1B — or none of them yet, and why.
- A candid read on the evidence you already have: rankings, titles, contracts, press, earnings, national-team selection — and the gaps that draw an RFE.
- Who the petitioner should be, and whether an agent petitioner structure fits how you actually work.
- Realistic timing, including whether premium processing changes anything for your deadline.
- What it costs to do properly: legal fees, and government filing fees, which are separate.
- If you have already been denied or have an RFE in hand, what your options are now.
The fee
The consultation fee is $500 USD, one time. It covers the consultation itself — the assessment, the recommendation, and the answers to your questions on the call. It credits 100% toward your retainer if you engage this office within 90 days. Government filing fees payable to USCIS are separate and are never included in a legal fee.
If you are on a deadline
Say so on the form. A season start, a fight date, a signed contract, a status about to expire, or an RFE with a response deadline all change what is realistically available. It is better to know in an hour than to find out in six weeks.
Case summaries, narrated by the attorney
These are case summaries narrated by the attorney about matters this office worked on. They are not client testimonials and no client is speaking in them. Every case is decided on its own record by a government officer. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and nothing in these videos predicts what will happen in any other case.
Interviews from the industry
An interview, not a client testimonial and not an endorsement. Taking part in a conversation implies no affiliation between this office and any promotion, league, federation or management company, and no view about any case.
Questions people ask before they book
Do I need to know which visa I need before I book?
No. Working that out is the main thing the call is for. Most people arrive knowing they need to be in the United States and not much more than that.
Why will you not just publish a price?
Because the categories are not equally hard and the records are not equally ready. A number published without seeing either would be marketing rather than a quote. You get a flat figure in writing once someone has read your evidence.
Can I pay in instalments?
Payment terms are agreed in the engagement agreement and instalments are common. It is a reasonable thing to raise on the consultation call.
My petition was denied, or I have an RFE. Is it too late?
Not necessarily, and it is worth a proper look. Bring the denial notice or the RFE to the call.
How long does the process take?
It depends on the category, the service center, and whether premium processing is available and worth using. Timing is one of the things the call is for — and no honest answer to that question exists before someone has looked at your facts.
Is the $500 refundable?
It credits 100% toward your retainer on an engagement signed within 90 days. It is not otherwise refundable — it pays for the attorney's time on the call.
Not ready to book an hour yet?
Xtraordinary Scoring
Xtraordinary Scoring reads a petition, an RFE response or an exhibit set the way a skeptical officer would, and tells you where it is thin. There is a free trial. It is a scoring tool, not legal advice: its output is not an assessment by an attorney and it does not predict what a government officer will decide.
Open Xtraordinary ScoringBook the call
One hour with the attorney. $500, credited toward your legal fee if you engage this office within 90 days.
Request Consultation — $500