Press Releases
U.S. Increases Nonimmigrant Visa Application Fee
December 17, 2007. Lusaka
The Consular Section is announcing an increase in the nonimmigrant visa application fee, effective 1 January 2008 from the current rate of USD 100 to USD 131. Any payments made after January 1, 2008, regardless of the interview date, must be for the full fee.
The following are some Frequently Asked Questions on the fee increase.
Q: Why is the Department of State increasing the nonimmigrant visa application fee to $131 from its current $100?
A: Because of new security-related costs, new information technology systems, and inflation, the $100 MRV fee is lower than the actual cost of processing nonimmigrant visas. In fact, the $100 fee was already lower than the cost of processing non-immigrant visas when the fee was reviewed as a part of the cost of service study in 2004.
The Department has been absorbing the additional cost. We are now collecting 10 fingerprints from each applicant and the FBI's charges for review of those fingerprints no longer allow us to do this.
Q: Hasn't the fee been increased frequently since 9/11?
A: No. The fee has been raised twice since 9/11. Both increases were in 2002 when the MRV fee went from $45 to $65 and then to the current fee of $100. Since that time, there have been many security enhancements to the visa process which have added to its cost. Some of these enhancements, such as the collection of biometrics, are required by the US Congress.
Q: Won't this fee increase cause a drop in the number of nonimmigrant visa applicants?
A: That remains to be seen. However, the new fee accurately reflects the costs currently incurred in the post 9/11 environment. In addition, it is important to note that visa applications have recovered from the immediate post 9/11 slump and are now setting new records in most categories.
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