Visa Fees to Increase on June 4, 2010

On June 4^th, the fees for nonimmigrant visa processing at U.S. consulates around the world will increase.  The fee increase was necessary, according to the Department of State, to help cover the rising cost of processing visas. 

The new fee schedule is as follows:

Applicants for all visas that are not petition-based will pay a fee of $140.  These are visa categories that don’t require an approved petition from a USCIS service center, and include B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange visitor (F, M and J) visas.

Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of $150.  These are visas that require an approval of a petition from a USCIS service center before the applicant can apply for a visa at the U.S. consulate.   These visa categories include:
· H visa (for temporary workers and trainees)
· L visa (for intra-company transferees)
· O visa (for persons of extraordinary ability)
· P visa (for athletes, artists and entertainers)
· Q visa (for cultural exchange visitors)
· R visa (for religious workers)

The application fee for a K visa for a fiancé(e)s of a U.S. citizen will increase to $350.

The application fee for E visas for treaty traders (E-1) and treaty-investors (E-2) will increase to $390.

Proposed fee increases for U.S. passports and immigrant visas are currently under review.

Gali Gordon