US visas for students are set to become 25 dollars costlier. The US Department of State has announced a hike in the processing fee for non-immigrant visas (NIVs) according to which 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 new prices will be effective May 30, 2023, onwards. As per current exchange rates, Indian students will have to pay around 15,140 for a US visa once these rules are implemented. The fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) will also increase to $205 from $190, the department said in a statement.
“The fee for a treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicants in a specialty occupation (E category) will increase from $205 to $315…Other consular fees are not affected by this rule, including the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visitors.,” it added.
Fees for most non-petition-based NIVs were last updated in 2012, and some other NIV fees were last updated in 2014. Nearly 1,25,000 students received visas in the fiscal year 2022, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in January 2023.
This hike in the fees is not applicable to the consular fees and the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visitors to the States. Those who are visiting the country on business, travel, students (NIV), temporary workers (from $190 to $205), those applying for E-category visa (from $205-$315), and categories H, L, O, P, Q and R. The exact amount of the visa processing fees in Indian currency will depend on whatever the current rate is during the time of application.
