2007 Press Releases
Visa Fees to Increase on January 1, 2008
December 14, 2007
Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. non-immigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131 worldwide. Those applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee before January 1, 2008 will be processed without further payment only if they appear for a visa interview before January 31, 2008. Applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee and appear for visa interviews after January 31, 2008 will be asked to pay the difference ($31) at the Consular Section’s cashier before they will be interviewed. Any payments made after January 1, 2008 at a Piraeus Bank branch, regardless of interview date, must be for the full $131 fee. In addition, the application fee for a U.S. immigrant visa will increase by $20, from $335 to $355 effective January 1, 2008. Those applicants who paid the prior $335 application fee before January 1, 2008 will be processed without further payment, regardless of interview date.
The U.S. Department of State is increasing the fee because of new security-related costs, new information technology systems and inflation in general. A Cost of Service Study in 2004 showed the $100 fee was already lower than the actual cost of processing a visa. The Department of State has absorbed the difference since 2004, but is no longer able to do so. The last fee increase was in 2002 and since that time, there have been many security enhancements, such as the collection of biometrics, which is Congressionally-mandated.
