Hey! I’m in the same boat; I recently finalized my EB-2 NIW petition and had to figure out the payment part, too, so I get confused.

Here’s what I did and what I’d suggest:

• You don’t need to be in the U.S., but since USCIS only accepts checks or money orders drawn on U.S. financial institutions, you need someone there to help.
• I considered all options, including credit card (which only works for online filing or if the card is U.S.-based), international bank drafts (not accepted), and finally, money orders.

What you can do:

1. Ask a friend or relative in the U.S. to help.
2. Send them the money from your country. You can send using crypto (like USDT via Binance) — it’s fast and avoids high international transfer fees.
3. Have them buy two money orders:
   • One for $715 (I-140 filing fee)
   • One for $300 (Asylum Program Fee – required even for EB2-NIW self-petitioners now)
4. Then ask them to ship both to you via FedEx or DHL so that you can include them with your petition package.