The embassy in a website statement announced that the fees
for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1 and B2 visas and Border Crossing
Cards), as well as student and exchange visitor visas have been increased.
“The Department of State recently 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 embassy said.
“The effective date of the fee increase is postponed from
May 30 to June 17, 2023. On June 17, 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.”
The US Embassy said the 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.
It explained that 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.
According to the US Embassy, other consular fees are not
affected by this rule, including the waiver of the two-year residency required
fee for certain exchange visitors.
“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.”
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