On March 28, 2023, the Department of State published their “Publication of Final Rule on Nonimmigrant Visa Fee Increases” which, amongst other things, increased the cost of getting an E-3 visa, as well as other nonimmigrant visas like the B-1/B-2,H-1B, L-1, and O-1.
So what's included in this list of changes?
So what's changing with visa fees?
You can read the full publication direct from the Department of State, here: https://www.state.gov/publication-of-final-rule-on-nonimmigrant-visa-fee-increases/:
The Department of State published a Final Rule regarding increases to certain nonimmigrant visa application (NIV) processing fees and the Border Crossing Card (BCC) for Mexican citizens age 15 and over.
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 applicants in a specialty occupation (E category) will increase from $205 to $315.
How much will the fee for E3 visas be now?
Previously the E3 visa cost $205 to apply for, and now it's $315. This is the fee increase for the treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicants in specialty occupations (all E class visas).
How much will the fee be for visitor visas (B1/B2 and BCC visas)?
Previously the B-1 visa, the B-2 visa and BCC visas were all $160 and now they are $185.
How much will the fee be for temporary employment visas (H, L, O, P, Q, and R) be now?
The list is as follows:
- H-1B visa: Was $190 now $205
- H-1B1 visa: Was $190 now $205
- H-2A visa: Was $190 now $205
- H-2B visa: Was $190 now $205
- H-3 visa: Was $190 now $205
- L-1 & L-2 visas: Was $190 now $205
- O-1 & O-2 visas: Was $190 now $205
- P-1 visa: Was $190 now $205
- P-2 visa: Was $190 now $205
- P-3 visa: Was $190 now $205
- Q-1 visa: Was $190 now $205
When do these changes come into effect?
These increases will be effective on May 30, 2023, so for those of you who have to pay these fees for new visas after that date, you will be in for the higher charges.
Are these new fees or changes to existing fees?
These are all changes to existing fees, they're not adding additional costs. It's frustrating because I know how much it can cost to go through the whole process, but unfortunately they are always subject to reviews with policy revisions and targeted focus on “facilitating legitimate travel to the United States” (per the text)
Are any other fees changing?
At this time, no. This includes that there's no update to the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visas.
All visa fees can be seen here on the State Department's Website.
