June 14, 2023
The U.S. Department of State published a final rule on the increases of the nonimmigrant visa fee. Learn more about the new costs and when the changes will occur.
On March 28, the Department of State published in the Federal Register a new rule that increases the processing fees of nonimmigrant visas (NIV). The change is effective as of May 30, 2023.
For what type of nonimmigrant visas will fees increase?
Non-petition based visas used for tourism or business are part of the nonimmigrant visa (NIV), and the processing fees will increase from $160 to $185 USD.
Processing fees will increase for the following visas:
Visitor visas (B1/B2): For people traveling for business, tourism, medical treatments, family and friend visits, exchange visitors, and student visas. These visas are for short periods and for specified reasons.
The fee for visas based on petitions or temporary work visas under the H-2 category will also increase from $190 to $205 USD. The visas in this category include:
H Visas: H-2A and H-2B for temporary workers
L Visas: Intracompany transferees
O Visas: People with extraordinary abilities
P Visas: Athletes, artists, and entertainers
Q Visas: Cultural exchange participants
R Visas: Religious worker
Visas under the E category for traders and investors with a specialized occupation will also have a fee increment from $205 to $315 USD.
It is worth mentioning that the last fee update for most non-petition based visas occurred in 2012, and other fees were updated in 2014.
The Department uses Activity-Based Costing (ABC) to calculate costs, such as costs for providing consular services which include visa services.
This change does not affect the fees for other consular services, including the processing fees for residencies required for certain exchange visitors.
To find more information about fees, visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website: travel.state.gov and the U.S. embassies and consulates’ websites.
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