Nonimmigrant Visa Fee Increases to Take Effect June 17, 2023

The Department of State has announced that certain nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) will see rises in their processing fees. NIV fees are set based on the actual cost of providing NIV services and are determined after conducting a study of the cost of these services. The Department uses an Activity-Based Costing (ABC) methodology to calculate, annually, the cost of providing consular services, including visa services. The fees for most non-petition based NIVs were last updated in 2012, and certain other visa fees were last updated in 2014.

The application processing fee for the following non-petition based NIVs will increase from $160 to $185:

• B1/B2s and BCCs: visitor visas for business of tourism
• F: academic student visitors
• M: vocational student visitors
• J: exchange visitors

The fees for certain petition-based will also see an increase. The fee for these visas will rise from $190 to $305. The visa categories that fall under this increase are below:

• H: temporary workers/employment or trainees
• L: intracompany transferees
• O: persons with extraordinary ability
• P: athletes, artists, and entertainers
• Q: international cultural exchange visitors
• R: religious workers

Finally, the fee for a treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicants in a specialty occupation visa (the nonimmigrant E category) will see the sharpest increase of the visas included. This fee will increase from $205 to $315.

This rule does not change any other fees, including the fee to apply for a waiver of the two-year residency requirement for certain exchange visitors, which remains at $120. NIV fees paid prior to June 17, 2023, will remain valid through the expiration date of the fee receipt.

For More Information:

You can read the announcement from the Department of State here.

For more information on fees for visa services, you can read more here.

This blog post does not serve as legal advice and does not establish any client-attorney privilege. Do not take any action based on the information contained in this post without consulting a qualified immigration attorney. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our legal team directly.