USA raises immigrant visa fee

The United States has raised the immigrant visa fee to $165 effective from February 1.

"Effective February 1, 2013, all individuals issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a $165.00 USCIS Immigrant Fee before traveling to the United States," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a press statement.

Only prospective adoptive parents whose children entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government, returning residents, and those issued K visas are exempt from the new fee.

Applicants will now have two separate fees to pay. They are still required to pay the Department of State (DOS) visa application processing fee, and will now also have to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee.

According to the statement, the new fee of $165 was established in USCIS’s final rule adjusting fees for immigration applications and petitions announced on Sept. 24, 2010. Nepalnews.com