Breaking: US announces increase in cost of visas

The United States of America has announced an increase in the fees for certain categories of visas.

The announcement was contained in a statement by the Public Affairs Section of the US Mission in Nigeria on Wednesday.

The statement, titled: “Publication of Final Rule on Nonimmigrant Visa Fee Increases,” said the Department of State was committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States for both immigrant and nonimmigrant travellers, revealing that the last increase in visa fees was effected in 2012.

It said the latest increase will cover certain nonimmigrant visa application processing fees and the Border Crossing Card for Mexican citizens age 15 and over.

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

It said the fee for visitor visas for business or tourism, that is B1/B2 and BCC, and other non-petition-based NIVs such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185.

The Department of State also revealed that the fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers, including H, L, O, P, Q and R categories, will increase from $190 to $205.

The fee for a treaty trader, treaty investor and treaty applicants in a specialty occupation, that is E category, will increase from $205 to $315.

The statement added: “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 fees for most non-petition based NIVs were last updated in 2012, and certain other NIV fees were last updated in 2014.

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

The statement said visas for work and tourism are essential to President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, adding: “We recognize the critical role international travel plays in the U.S. economy.”

It said the visa fee information can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website: travel.state.gov, and on the websites of the US embassies and consulates.