(CMR) The United States Department of State has announced that Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) processing fees will increase effective May 30, 2023. The fee for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s and BCCs), and other non-petition-based NIVs, such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185.
The fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) will increase from $190 to $205. The fee for a treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicant in a specialty occupation (E category) will increase from $205 to $315.
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 (ABC) 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 Department said, “visas for work and tourism are essential to President Biden’s foreign policy, and we recognize the critical role international travel plays in the U.S. economy.”
Fee information can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website, travel.state.gov, and on the websites of US embassies. Persons applying for US visas in the Cayman Islands usually apply through the Jamaica Embassy.
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