The Department of State announced on Tuesday the rule that authorizes the increase in prices in visa applications to visit the United States, applicable to different categories. The list of increases also includes the Border Crossing Card (BCC) for Mexican citizens over 15 years of age.
With the publication In the Federal Register, the US foreign ministry assured that the new rates with differentiated increases in the different categories will be applied as of May 30.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) submitted The review in January of a package to adjust the fees for immigration services to adjust to the costs of processing applications, since the agency operates in more than 90% with its own photos, as it argued.
“The fee for business or tourist visitor visas (B1/B2 and BCC) and others that are not based on petitions, such as student visas and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185. The fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers (categories H, L, O, P, Q, and R) will increase from 190 to 205. The fee for a trader and investor and applicants for a specialty occupation (category E ) will increase from $205 to $315,” the State Department explained in a statement.
The US government clarified that to adjust the fees, a procedure has been followed with “annual calculations” on the costs of providing consular services, which includes the issuance of visas abroad.
The fees for most nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) that are granted directly without going through the petition process, such as those for family reunification with USCIS, were last updated in 2012, and other categories of the same were adjusted in 2014, the agency explained.
“Work and tourist visas are essential to President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, and we recognize the critical role international travel plays in the US economy,” the statement explained.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and instagram.
