A residential appraisal you can file with an immigration case, prepared by a Texas Certified Residential appraiser. Fee quoted in writing before I start.
Almost everyone who calls me about an immigration appraisal was told to get one by an attorney or a paralegal. That is the right order, because the form drives what the evidence has to show, and the forms are not interchangeable. Before you order anything, ask your attorney which filing the appraisal supports and what it needs to establish.
The most common one in my work is Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support. When a sponsor's income by itself does not meet the requirement, assets can be used to make up the difference. The I-864 instructions are unusually specific about real estate: you include documentation that you own it, a recent appraisal by a licensed appraiser, and evidence of the amount of any and all loans secured by the property. The instructions then define net value as the appraised value minus the sum of any and all loans secured by a mortgage, trust deed, or other lien on the home. That subtraction is arithmetic you and your attorney do. I supply the appraised value; your lender payoff statement supplies the rest.
Investor cases use property value differently. In an E-2 treaty investor case or an EB-5 petition, real estate usually appears in the source-of-funds narrative rather than as a line item on a support form: a property sold, refinanced, or pledged to raise the investment capital. The federal regulation governing EB-5 capital says all capital is valued at fair market value in United States dollars, but the evidence it lists is documentary and broad, and it does not by itself require a formal appraisal. Whether one strengthens your record is a judgment for your attorney, not for me.
If a website advertises that it is a USCIS-approved, USCIS-certified, or embassy-approved appraiser, treat that as a reason to look elsewhere. USCIS does not license, approve, certify, or publish a roster of appraisers. Neither does the National Visa Center. The I-864 instructions ask for a recent appraisal by a licensed appraiser, and that is the extent of the credential requirement written into the form.
In Texas, appraiser credentials are issued by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board under Chapter 1103 of the Occupations Code. I hold a Texas Certified Residential credential (#1360232), which authorizes one-to-four unit residential property without regard to transaction value or complexity, and vacant land whose highest and best use is one-to-four family residential.
I also cannot tell you that any agency or consular officer will accept my report. No appraiser can, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you something they do not control. What I control is that the report is a credible appraisal prepared in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, stating plainly what was valued, as of what date, by what method, and on what evidence. Acceptance is the adjudicator's decision.
USCIS does not approve or certify appraisers, and no one can promise your report will be accepted. Any site claiming a government approval is misrepresenting itself.
An immigration appraisal is not a special product. It is an ordinary residential appraisal assigned for a different purpose. What changes is the intended use and the named intended users, which appear on the face of the report. That matters more than people expect: a report I wrote last year for a refinance was written for a lender, and handing it to an immigration case is not the same as an appraisal prepared for that use.
Ask whether your sponsor's income alone already clears the I-864 requirement. If it does, assets never enter the analysis and you do not need an appraisal at all. If it does not, real estate is one of the ways to make up the difference and the appraisal is exactly what the instructions call for.
That is a one-minute question and it is the only thing worth confirming before you order. Send me the address and the form your case involves and I will quote it the same day.
I appraise real property. I do not verify the lawful source of your funds, trace wire transfers, convert foreign currency, value a business, or opine on whether an investment is substantial for E-2 purposes. Those are separate professional questions and separate professionals.
I also do not give immigration advice, and I will not tell you what value your case needs. If a sponsor tells me the file needs the property to come in above a certain number to close a shortfall, that ends the conversation. An appraisal that is steered to a target is worthless as evidence and is a violation of the standards I work under. My fee is a set amount and is the same regardless of the number I conclude.
The form you are filing determines whether property value matters at all. Get that answer before you spend money on an appraisal.
I appraise one-to-four unit residential property and residential land in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, plus surrounding North Texas counties where I have current market familiarity. If your property is in another state, you need an appraiser credentialed in that state.
If the property is in another country, I cannot help and neither can any Texas appraiser, at least not credibly. Valuing real estate requires access to that market's sales data and an understanding of its transfer, title, and tenure customs. Cases involving foreign property generally use a valuation prepared in that country. Your attorney will know what form that usually takes for the country involved.
My fee is a set amount and does not depend on the value I conclude. I will not accept an assignment conditioned on reaching a particular number.
An appraisal is an opinion of value as of a specific date, not an ongoing statement. My report speaks as of the effective date printed on it and does not update itself as the market moves.
The I-864 instructions call for a recent appraisal without defining recent in months, and practice varies on how old is too old. Some attorneys treat anything past six months as stale for a filing; others are comfortable further out, particularly in a flat market. Consular posts and USCIS officers apply their own judgment. If your case has been pending a long time and you are approaching an interview, ask your attorney whether the report should be updated before you assume it is fine. A new appraisal with a current effective date is a new assignment and a new fee; I do not backdate reports or issue letters restating an old value as though it were current.
I work on one-to-four unit residential property and residential land only. No commercial buildings, no apartment complexes of five units or more, no land subdivision analysis.
The fee is quoted in writing before I begin, based on the property and the report format your attorney wants (standard single-family starts at $500). It does not change based on the value I reach or what happens to your case. Typical turnaround from inspection to delivered report is 5 to 7 business days.
Appraisal client
“Terrence was great. He explained the whole process with me and was patient while I worked through some things. Very professional and a quick turnaround. Would absolutely use again and recommend!”Amar Arekapudi · Google review
For the Form I-864 Affidavit of Support, the instructions ask for a recent appraisal by a licensed appraiser when you are using real estate as an asset. They do not name a specific credential level or an approved list. In Texas, credentials are issued by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board, and a Certified Residential credential covers one-to-four unit residential property. Other case types have different evidence rules, so confirm with your attorney what your specific filing requires.
No. USCIS does not approve, certify, or maintain a list of appraisers, and neither does the National Visa Center or any consulate. Firms that advertise USCIS approval are describing a credential that does not exist. What exists is a state-issued appraiser credential and an appraisal prepared in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
My fee is quoted in writing before I start (standard single-family starts at $500), with the exact figure depending on the property's size, complexity, and location and on the report format your attorney wants. The fee never depends on the value I conclude or on the outcome of your case. If a firm quotes you a price that moves with the value, that is a reason to walk away.
That is a question for your attorney, not for me, because it depends on what your filing requires. What I can tell you is what those numbers are: a Tarrant Appraisal District value is a mass-appraisal figure produced for taxation as of January 1, and an online estimate is an automated model with no inspection behind it. The I-864 instructions specifically call for an appraisal by a licensed appraiser when real estate is used as an asset.
Generally no. The I-130 petition establishes a qualifying family relationship, and property value is not what it asks about. The asset question usually arrives later, with the Form I-864 Affidavit of Support, and only if the sponsor's income alone does not meet the requirement. Confirm with your attorney before ordering anything at the petition stage.
No. A Texas credential authorizes work in Texas, and more importantly, appraising property requires access to that market's sales data and knowledge of local title and tenure practice. Cases involving foreign real estate normally use a valuation prepared in the country where the property sits. Your attorney will know the customary format for that country.
The I-864 instructions say recent without putting a number on it, and practice varies. Some attorneys treat six months as the outer edge for a filing, others are comfortable longer in a stable market, and adjudicators apply their own judgment. If your case has been pending a while and an interview is approaching, ask your attorney whether to update. I will not backdate a report or issue a letter restating an old value as current.
I appraise the residential real estate component when there is one, which is usually a property being sold, refinanced, or pledged as part of the source of funds. I do not value businesses, trace funds, or opine on whether an investment is substantial. If your case needs business valuation or forensic accounting, those are different professionals and your attorney should engage them separately.
Written fee quote, typically within one business hour. If your attorney or paralegal is coordinating the filing, copy them and I will work directly with them.
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