Changes in Fees
On July 13, 2010, the U.S. Department of State will increase fees charged for immigrant visas, passports and notarial services. The new fees will cover actual operating expenses for our network of 301 consular posts abroad, 23 domestic passport agencies, and other centers that provide consular services to both U.S citizens and foreign nationals. These changes will insure that the full cost of services will be paid by the individuals or organizations, receiving the benefit, not by U.S. taxpayers.
The Immigrant Visa (IV) application fee - which must be collected from all IV applicants who are not fee-exempt - will now be tiered. The new fees will be $330 for immediate relative and family preference cases (processed on the basis of an I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition), $720 for employment-based cases (processed on the basis of an I-140 petition), and $305 for other cases (special IVs, Diversity Visas (DVs), self-petitioned cases, and all other IVs). The IV security surcharge - which must be collected from all IV applicants who are not fee-exempt - will increase from $45 to $74. The DV fee (which is charged in addition to the application processing fee and security surcharge) will increase from $375 to $440. The fee for domestic (National Visa Center) review of affidavits of support will increase from $70 to $88. The fee for determining returning resident status will decrease from $400 to $380.
The application processing fee for adult passport applications will increase from $55 to $70, and the passport book security surcharge will increase from $20 to $40. The application fee for passport cards will increase from $20 to $30 for adults and from $10 to $15 for minors. The fee for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will increase from $65 to $100, and a new fee of $82 for additional passport pages will be imposed.
For a list of all fee changes, please consult the U.S. Department of State's web site: http://www.travel.state.gov/news/news_5078.html
