U.S. Consulate General Press Releases (2007)

Announcement of Increase in Visa Fees

News Release
December 19, 2007
Wednesday

The U.S. Department of State has announced a worldwide increase in the fee for visa applications.

Nonimmigrant Visas: Beginning on January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa will increase from US$100 to US$131. Those applicants who paid the prior US$100 application fee before January 1, 2008, will be processed without further payment only if they appear for a visa interview on or before January 31, 2008. Applicants who paid the prior US$100 application fee and appear for visa interviews after January 31, 2008, must pay the difference -- US$31 -- before they will be interviewed. Any payments made after January 1, 2008, regardless of the interview date, must be for the full US$131 fee. As in the past, nonimmigrant visa applicants in Hong Kong will continue to pay the fee at Dah Sing Bank, which has a number of branches throughout Hong Kong. From January 1, 2008, Dah Sing Bank will be collecting US$131 or HK$1,040 from prospective visa applicants.

Immigrant Visas: The total immigrant visa fees will also be increased from US$380 to US$400 effective January 1, 2008. Most immigrant visa applicants pay their fees through the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC) in the United States. Those applicants who paid the US$380 application fee before January 1, 2008, will be processed without further payment even if they appear for an immigrant visa interview after January 1, 2008. This fee increase also impacts Diversity Visa applicants, who pay the fee at the time of interview at the Consulate.

The adjustments to the visa application fee are being made to bring it into line with the actual costs of providing the services. U.S. law requires the Department of State to recover the costs of most consular services through user fees. Consular fees are adjusted periodically to comply with this requirement. The last major revision of the U.S. nonimmigrant visa application fee was in 2002. Consular service fees, including the nonimmigrant visa application fee, are established worldwide and are not specific to Hong Kong.

More information about the visa application process, and a list of Dah Sing Bank locations where fees can be paid, can be found on the U.S. Consulate General web site, http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/.

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