Cost Of Work Visa In Usa

The process of attaining a work visa in the United States of America could not be any easier than it currently is as most applicants can be granted their visa within 30 days which is a good idea to start researching and gathering information about this great country. However if you are doing so for the first time then you may want to take both time and money into consideration when making your decision as you will need plenty of both.

There are many different work visa’s you can apply for. If you’re looking to move to the USA and intend to get a job, the first thing you need is a visa –the type of visa will depend on your individual circumstances. Despite what you may have heard or think, getting one is not a quick or an easy process. The first step is to make sure you can get a visa to live in the US. There are some basic standards that most visas will require:

Cost Of Work Visa In Usa

According to the U.S Department of State, The average fee for a visa is $131. For most countries, you will have to pay an embassy fee whether or not you personal appear at the embassy to get your visa (in some cases). Other fees may apply depending on your country of citizenship.

Overview

Visa applicants, including children, are required to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable visa application fee, sometimes referred to as the MRV fee, before applying for a nonimmigrant visa. The visa application fee must be paid whether a visa is issued or not. The type of visa for which you apply determines the fee amount. Depending on your citizenship and the type of visa you are applying for, you may also have to pay a visa issuance or “reciprocity” fee. This webpage lists visa application fees associated with each nonimmigrant visa type.

Please note that only the application fees for nonimmigrant visas are listed here.

Payment Information

Although fees are listed in U.S. dollars, payment must be made using local currency. You can pay your fee at any major bank. More information about payment options is here.

Restrictions

Your visa application fee is non-refundable and you cannot transfer it to another person. You will receive a receipt after paying the application fee. As a result of the suspension of routine consular operations due to COVID-19 in early 2020 and the U.S. Department of State’s ongoing efforts to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible, the Department has temporarily extended the validity of visa application fees until September 30, 2023. If you have not scheduled a visa appointment by that date, your fee will expire and you will forfeit the right to use the fee for a visa application.

Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts

The application fees are listed below and apply to one visa application. The application fee for the most common nonimmigrant visa types is US$160. This includes tourist, business, student, and exchange visas. Most petition-based visas, such as work and religious visas, are US$190. K visas cost US$265 and the fee amount for E visas is US$205. The tables below have a more comprehensive list of visa types and fee amounts.

Visa Types and Conditions with No Fee Required

• Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas (as defined in 22 CFR 41.26);
• Applicants holding J visas and who are participating in certain official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges;
• Replacement of a machine-readable visa within one year of visa issuance, when the original visa was not properly affixed or the visa needs to be reissued through no fault of the applicant;
• Applicants exempted by international agreement, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families;
• Applicants traveling to provide certain charitable services;
• U.S. Government employees traveling on official business; and,
• A parent, sibling, spouse or child of a U.S. Government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee’s funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a U.S. Government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during urgent treatment and convalescence.

Other Fees

In some cases, additional visa fees are paid directly to the National Visa Center, to the U.S. Embassy or to the Department of Homeland Security.

Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance (“Reciprocity”) Fees

Applicants from certain countries may be required to pay a visa issuance fee after their application is approved. These fees are based on “reciprocity” (what another country charges a U.S. citizen for a similar-type of visa). The United States strives to eliminate visa issuance fees whenever possible, however, when a foreign government imposes these fees on U.S. citizens for certain types of visas, the United States will impose a “reciprocal” fee on citizens of that country for similar types of visas. The Department of State’s website has more information about visa issuance fees and can help you determine if an issuance fee applies to your nationality.

SEVIS Fees

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an Internet-based system that tracks F, M, and J visa participants (and their family members) from the time they receive their initial documentation (either an I-20 or a DS-2019) until they graduate/leave school or conclude/leave program.

F, M and J visa principal applicants: Check with your U.S. school to make sure your information has been entered into SEVIS. You will need to pay a separate SEVIS fee in addition to the visa application fee. SEVIS Fee for F and M international students has increased from $200 to $350. DHS will maintain the $35 I-901 SEVIS Fee for J exchange visitors in the au pair, camp counselor, and summer work travel program participant categories, but increase the full I-901 SEVIS Fee for other J exchange visitors from $180 to $220. Payment cannot be made at the Embassy or Consulate. Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be found here.

SEVIS Fee Exception

Applicants participating in a U.S. Government sponsored program (programs whose codes begin with G-1, G-2, G-3, G-7) are not required to pay the SEVIS fee.

Blanket L Fee (Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee)

First-time principal applicants who are covered under a blanket petition for L status must pay a Fraud Prevention and Detection fee of US $500. This fee should be paid to the cashier at the Consular Section on the day of the interview. If a subsequent L-1 visa application is based on a new Form I-129S, the Fraud Prevention and Detection fee must be collected again.

The Fraud Prevention and Detection fee can only be paid at the US Embassy on the day of the interview, in local currency or USD, cash or by card (credit cards as Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, American Express, and Discover are accepted).