US Visa Fees For Immigrant, Nonimmigrant, Diversity & Reciprocity Visas

There are US visa fees and application fees. American visa prices vary by kind and country. US visas cost money.

US nonimmigrant, immigrant, and diversity visas cost money. These are application fees. Visa applicants from other nations must pay reciprocity fees, and vice versa, depending on their connection with the US.

US Nonimmigrant Visa Application Fees

There are numerous different types of nonimmigrant visas in the United States, which means that the fees vary. To get a better idea of how much these visa application fees are, separate them into non-petition based visas and petition based visas.

The following are the fees for a non-immigrant visa:

• Non-petition Based Visas $185
• Petition Based Visas $205
• E Visas $315
• K Visas $265

Fees for non-petition and petition based visas

Non-petition-based visas do not require an employer or US citizen to sponsor a temporary resident. The applicant can submit Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, pay fees, schedule an interview, submit supporting documents, and attend their interview.

Petition-based visas require an employer or US citizen to sponsor the applicant. The employer must petition USCIS, State, or Homeland before the applicant may submit Form DS-160. The petitioner additionally pays a visa-specific cost.

US nonimmigrant visa fees:

• US Visitor Visas (B-1 visa and B-2 visa) $185 Non-Petition Based
• C-1 visa for transits to the US $185 Non-Petition Based
• D visa for airline or ship crewmembers $185 Non-Petition Based
• F visa for students and academics $185 Non-Petition Based
• I visa for media and journalists $185 Non-Petition Based
• J visa for exchange visitors (excluding those applicants sponsored by the US government) $185 Non-Petition Based
• M visa for vocational students $185 Non-Petition Based
• TN TD visa for NAFTA professionals $185 Non-Petition Based
• T visa for victims of human trafficking $185 Non-Petition Based
• U visa for victims of criminal activity $185 Non-Petition Based
• H visas for temporary workers (H-1B visa, H-1B1 visa, H-2A visa, H-2B visa, H-3 visa, H-4 visa) $205 Petition Based
• L visas for intracompany transfers (L-1 visa, L-2 visa) $205 Petition Based
• O visas for persons with extraordinary abilities (O-1 visa, O-2 visa, O-3 visa) $205 Petition Based
• P visa for athletes, entertainers, and artists $205 Petition Based
• Q visa for international cultural exchanges $205 Petition Based
• R visa for religious workers $205 Petition Based
• E visa for traders and investors (E-1 visa, E-2 visa, E-3 visa) $315 Petition Based
• K visa for a fiancé or spouse of a US citizen $265.00 Petition Based

Besides the petition and non-petition based non-immigrant visas, there also other categories and fees that must be paid such as:

• For the Border Crossing Card for Mexican Citizens, the application fee for applicants over 15 years old is 160.00 USD, while for those under 15 years old, it is 16.00 USD.
• For petitioners for the L visas, there is also a fee of 500.00 USD for fraud detection and prevention
• For petitioners for H visas, there is a fee of 4,500.00 USD for petitioning to the US institutions to bring a foreign temporary worker to the US.

How to Pay a US Visa Fee?

Typically, you must pay a US visa fee when you visit the embassy or consulate in your home country for your interview. Each foreign embassy and consulate may have their own policies regarding visa payment, but you may normally pay the price in cash or with a debit or credit card. Personal checks are generally not accepted.

When are fees not necessary for US nonimmigrant visas?

There are also instances where you do not have to pay a fee and that is in these situations:

• When you apply for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas.
• For a J visa applicant sponsored by the US government.
• To replace a machine-readable visa when the original visa was not well stamped and it was not the applicant’s fault.
• For applicants who are part of international agreements such as members of staff of the UN Headquarters and their families.
• For applicants traveling for charity purposes.
• For US government employees traveling for official business.
• For parents, siblings, spouse, and children of a US government employee who was killed in the line of duty, and the family is traveling to attend the funeral or burial.

US Nonimmigrant Visa Reciprocity Fees

Reciprocity fees affect the cost of nonimmigrant US visas. Visas and border crossing cards cost these amounts. Only non-immigrant visas have reciprocity fees.

Reciprocity fees vary by passport and country of residence. Pay this cost before the US Embassy returns your passport.

If an applicant is:

• Part of international agreements such as members of staff of the UN Headquarters or the UN General Assembly, and their families.
• Transiting to the UN Headquarters.
• Part of a US government sponsored program and their spouse and children.
• Traveling for charity purposes.

US Immigrant Visa Fees

The US immigrant visas are those that allow a person to stay permanently in the US where they can live and work. The fees for the immigrant visas are for petitions as well as processing fees.

The fees for the petitions are as follows:

• Form I-130, Immigrant Petition for Relative costs 535.00 USD
• Form I-600 or Form I-800, Orphan Immediate Relative Petition costs 775.00 USD

As for processing fees, they depend on the type of visa which you are applying for, and are as follows:

• Immediate Relative or Family Preference Immigration Applications cost 325.00 USD in addition to the petition
• Employment-Based Immigration Applications cost 345.00 USD in addition to the petition
• Other immigration applications (such as self-petitioning) cost 205.00 USD
• K visa for a fiancé or spouse of a US citizen costs 265.00 USD
• Certain Afghan or Iraqi special immigrant applications have no fee

The Affidavit of Support, which costs 120.00 USD, is another regular expense for most immigrant visas. The fee is paid by US citizen sponsors who pledge that they will financially support the applicant until they settle down and can work in the US.

US Diversity Visa Fees

The US Diversity Visa lottery is for those who want to try their luck at getting a US immigration visa. US universities choose how many visa winners each year among the applicants that sign up. Applications are typically accepted in November and considered throughout the year.

Only the application or sign-up cost is required for the diversity visa. Before applying online, pay 330.00 USD.

Note: These fees are as of January 2018 and are subject to change. For more accurate information on updated, please consult with the US Department of State, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, or the US Homeland Department. Additionally, please review any instructions you obtain from the US Embassy or Consulate you are applying from.