Increases in non-immigrant US visa fees
by Christine M - June 5, 2010
United States, 5th June: From 4th June onwards, all aspirants wanting to immigrate to the US will have to pay increased US visa fees.
The latest fee structure will require all non-immigrant visa applicants to pay $390 per application as compared to the earlier US visa fee of US $140.
The US immigration department has been charging a flat visa fee of $131 for several US visa applications since the year 2008.
However, it is now getting replaced with the new tiered structure which will have the lowest US visa fee of $140 and the highest slab will be $390 depending on the category of US visa you are applying for.
And for those hailing from eurozone nations, the fee hike in the US visas will be even greater since the exchange rate is being reset to 82 cents for 1 dollar.
The revised fee structure for different categories of US visas is in tune with the total time spent in the processing and the costs of processing different US visas, revealed Jennifer Duval, consular officer, US embassy, Ireland. The increased rates of US visa fees are aimed to bring much desired improvements in the speed and the manner of application processing and fraud detection.
However, there is some great news for international students wanting to come to the US for a short period. They can participate in a working holiday program in the US and will be required to pay $140 as the US visa fees for J1 work visa. J1 work visa is a special US visa category that allows youngsters to enjoy a working holiday in America.
For petition-based US visas meant for religious workers, entertainers and athletes, the new US visa fees will be US $150. Meanwhile, fiancées and fiancés will have to shell out US $350 for getting US visas and investors will need to spend US$390 for US visas.
Another relief in this tiered US fee structure comes for Singaporeans coming to the US without any visa in accordance with the US Visa Waiver Program. All such travelers will not be required to pay such application fees, the US State Department has clarified.
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