Release of the final rule to increase nonimmigrant visa fees

The State Department is committed to making legal travel to the United States easier for both immigrants and nonimmigrants.

The Department of State has issued a Final Rule regarding increases in certain nonimmigrant visa (NIV) and Border Crossing Card (BCC) processing fees for Mexican citizens age 15 and older. These increases were posted to the Federal Register on March 28, 2023 and are effective May 30, 2023. The fee for visitor visas for business or tourism purposes (B1/B2s and BCCs) and other non-petition based NIVs such as student and exchange visitor visas will increase from $160 to $185. The fee for certain nonimmigrant petition-based temporary worker visas (categories H, L, O, P, Q, and R) will increase from $190 to $205. The fee for contract dealers, contract investors and contract applicants in a specialty occupation (category E) will be increased from $205 to $315.

NIV fees are determined based on the actual cost of providing NIV services and determined after conducting a study of the cost of those services. The Ministry uses an Activity-Based Costing (ABC) methodology to annually calculate the cost of providing consular services, including visa services. Fees for most non-petition based NIVs were last updated in 2012 and certain other NIV fees were last updated in 2014.

Other consular fees are unaffected by this rule, including the exemption from the two-year residence fee for certain exchange attendees.

Visas for work and tourism are essential to President Biden’s foreign policy, and we recognize the critical role that international travel plays in the US economy.

For fee information, see the Bureau of Consular Affairs website, travel.state.gov, and the websites of US embassies and consulates.