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Department of State Proposes Raising Consular Service Fees for Nonimmigrant and Special Visas

Immigration News

Department of State Proposes Raising Consular Service Fees for Nonimmigrant and Special Visas

The Department of State (DOS) has issued a proposed rule that would raise consular service fees for several nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applications, Border Crossing Card (BCC) applications for Mexican citizens, and waivers of the two-year residency requirement for certain J exchange visitors. Specifically, the Department proposes:

  • To increase the non-petition-based NIV fee from $160 to $245 per application. Non-petition-based NIVs include a variety of nonimmigrant visas, such as those for business and tourist travel (B1/B2); students and exchange visitors (F, M, and J); crew and transit visas (C and D); representatives of foreign media (I), and other country-specific visa classes, as well as BCCs for applicants age 15 or older who are citizens of and resident in Mexico.
  • To increase fees for all petition-based NIVs related to employment in the United States from $190 to $310. Petition-based NIVs include categories for temporary workers and trainees (H); intracompany transferees (L); aliens of extraordinary ability (O); athletes, artists, and entertainers (P); international cultural exchange participants (Q); and religious workers (R).
  • To increase the E category NIV fee from $205 to $485.
  • To increase the J waiver fee from $120 to $510.

DOS will accept comments on the proposed rule until February 28, 2022.

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