The U.S. government announced an adjustment in the fees for U.S. immigration benefits, which includes visa applications for traveling to the United States. The Department of State reported that, based on studies, it was necessary to increase the fees to ensure the proper financial maintenance of the system, which was heavily impacted by Covid-19.
The U.S. immigration budget for 2023 amounts to over $20 billion, allocated to various immigration agencies such as the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
Since May 30, the business and/or tourism visa, known as B1/B2, became 15.6% more expensive. Its fee has been raised from $160 to $185. Similarly, the student and exchange visitor visas (F and J) have also increased from $160 to $185.
Foreign nationals applying for non-immigrant work visas in categories H, L, O, P, Q, and R have also been required to pay more money since May 30, 2023. The visa fee has been raised from $190 to $205. Additionally, there has been an adjustment in the fee for the E category visa, which is meant for traders and investors. This particular visa experienced the largest increase, going from $205 to $315. It should be noted that this visa is not available to Brazilians.
This marks the first update in the fees for these non-immigrant documents since 2014, when the last update was implemented. It is important to mention that this update does not affect the fee for applying for a waiver of the two-year home-country physical presence requirement for certain exchange visitors, which remains at $120.
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