Visitor visas for business or tourism will increase from US$160 to US$185.

The United States Department of State has hiked the processing fees for visas, effective May 30.

The fee for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s and BCCs), and other non-petition based non-immigrant visa application (NIV), such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from US$160 to US$185. The fee for certain petition-based non-immigrant visas for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) will increase from US$190 to US$205, the State Department said.

The fee for a treaty trader, treaty investor and treaty applicants in a speciality occupation (E category) will increase from US$205 to US$315. Yesterday, the State Department published a Final Rule regarding increases to certain non-immigrant visa application processing fees for Caribbean and other visitors.

The State Department explained that, “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”, noting that it uses an Activity-Based Costing 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. The State Department explained that other consular fees are not affected by this rule, including the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visitors.

The State Department also said that the increased fees affect the Border Crossing Card for Mexican citizens age 15 and over.