U.S. Raises Non-Immigrant Visa Fees As Of June 4

The embassy said the decision by the U.S. Department of State was made after a period of public comment on the matter and the new fees are based on the results of a cost- of- service study to determine direct and indirect costs to the U.S. Government of providing consular services, specifically non-immigrant visas.

Because of the ongoing modernization of the visa application process and security enhancement, the current $131 fee is lower than the actual cost of processing non-immigrant visas, the embassy said.

The new tiered fees are: for the visa categories B1/B2 (Tourist/Business) - $140, E (Investor) - $390, F (Student) - $140, J (Exchange Visitor) - $140, K (Fiance/Fiancee) - $350; for petition-based visa-applications -- H (Temporary Worker) - $150, L (Executive Transfer) - $150, O (Person of Extraordinary Ability) - $150, P (Athlete or Entertainer) - $150, Q (International Cultural Exchange) - $150, R (Religious Worker) - $150. All the other visa application fees, including processing visas for journalists, will be increased to $140.

Once the new fee schedule is in effect, all applicants who have paid the old fee will be required to pay the difference between the old fee and the new fee on the day of their appointment. This difference must be paid to the cashier at the Consular Section prior to the interview, the embassy notes.

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