The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently published a final rule in the FederalRegister amending the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for certain nonimmigrant visas (NIV) and the border crossing card for Mexican citizens aged 15 and over, which will be effective May 30, 2023, onwards. 

Background 

The proposed revised fee schedule, which was initially introduced in December 2021, included significant fee increases across all non-immigrant visa types. However, the final fee schedule published in the federal register indicates lower increases than initially proposed. DOS attributes the decision to recalculate the fees in order to “ensure that it did not implement fees in excess of its actual costs.”

Changes to Fee Structure for Petition based Visas  

•  The application processing fee for E category nonimmigrant visas, from $205 to $315.
• The application processing fee for H, L, O, P, Q, and R category nonimmigrant visas, from $190 to $205.

Changes to Fee Structure for Non-Petition based Visas 

• The application processing fee for non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas (except E category), from $160 to $185.
• The processing fee for border crossing cards for Mexican citizens aged 15 and over from $160 to $185.
• The fee for waiver of the two-year residency requirement for exchange visitors will remain the same at $120.

Conclusion 

The increase in consular fees will lead to higher application costs for border crossing cards and several categories of nonimmigrant visas. The existing fee structure will remain in place until May 30, 2023, hence foreign nationals submitting an application after this date should ensure to pay the correct fee amount.