Nonimmigrant US visa fees increased effective May 30

The  U.S. Department of State says it will increase fees for certain nonimmigrant US visa applications, including travel visas effective May 30, 2023

$160 to $185 (15.6% increase)

The fee for  B1/B2 visas business and tourist travel, F visas for international students, J exchange visitor visas, and other visa classes not requiring a petition will increase from $160 to $185.

This represents 15.6 percent increase.

$190 to $205 (7.9% increase)

The fees for certain nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) will also go up from $190 to $205, representing 7.9 percent increase.

$205 to $315 (53.7% increase)

A statement issued said the fee for treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicants in a specialty occupation (E category) will increase from $205 to $315.

The $110 added to the existing fee amounts to 53.7 percent increase.

The fee changes will take effect on May 30, 2023.

Applicants who pay the visa fee before May 30, 2023 and schedule an interview within 365 days of the day payment is made are not affected by this change.

There is no requirement for the interview to actually occur during that 365-day period, applicants must just take the step of scheduling an appointment within 365 days.

It said all visa fee payments made on or after October 1, 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the fee.

Applicants must schedule an interview appointment or submit an interview waiver application within 365 days of paying the visa fee.  There is no requirement for the interview to occur during that 365-day period.

The Department of State’s consular operations are funded by fees collected for the consular services it provides.

Nonimmigrant visa fees are set based on the actual cost of providing these services, as determined after conducting a study of the cost of these services.

Nonimmigrant visa fee increases are based strictly on the results of this cost-of-service model, and the Department of State only recovers the costs of providing these consular services.

The last time fees increased for nonimmigrant visas was in 2014, the State Department said in a press release.

Most applicants, including children, are required to pay a Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee to initiate their U.S. visa application.

This US Government-mandated fee is a visa processing fee that is payable whether or not a visa is issued.

The MRV application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

There will be no refund of the fee, regardless of whether the visa is ultimately issued or refused.