THE United States (US) Department of State has increased visa fees for non-immigrants, according to a statement released on Wednesday, March 29.

According to the statement yesterday, the price adjustment comes about a decade after the last review for non-petition based non-immigrant visa applications (NIVs) in 2012, and certain other NIV fees update in 2014.

It said the fee for B-1/B-2 visitor visas, Border Crossing Cards for Mexican citizens aged 15 and above, and student and exchange visitor visas will increase from $160 to $185 (about 15 per cent).

Also, the fees for certain NIVs for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) will increase by about eight per cent from $190 to $205.

“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 methodology to calculate, annually, the cost of providing consular services, including visa services,” the US Embassy said.

Meanwhile, the fee for treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicants in a specialty occupation (E category) will increase by about 35 per cent from $205 to $315.

Other consular fees are not affected by this rule, including the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visitors.

These increases were published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2023 and will be effective on May 30, 2023.