US visa fee to increase starting June 4

PanARMENIAN.Net - On June 4, 2010, the fee charged for tourist or business visas will increase from $131 to $140. The new application fee for H, L, O, P, Q and R visas will be $150; for E visas - $390, and K visas - $350.

Applicants will have to pay the full fee in effect on the day they apply, regardless of when they pay. If someone paid $131 to apply for a tourist visa and his appointment is after June 4, he will have to pay the $9 difference when he comes in for an interview. Applicants for tourist, student and exchange visas can pay the difference at the Embassy on the day of their interview. Meanwhile, applicants for H, L, O, P, Q or R visa should apply to the consular section for instructions on how to pay the difference.

The fees are being increased to ensure that the Department of State recovers the true costs of consular services through user fees, as required by law. The proposed changes to the fee schedule reflect more accurately the true expenditure of doing business. This way, services of direct benefit to individuals, organizations, or groups are paid for by the users rather than by taxpayers in general. The Department of State reviewed its current consular fees based on a cost of service study completed in June 2009. This study, involving two years of research, was the most detailed, comprehensive study of consular fees that the Department of State has completed. The last change in visa application fees was in 2008.